Muscarinic inhibition of substance P induced ion secretion in piglet jejunum.

We examined the effects of the muscarinic agonist carbachol on ion secretion induced by substance P (SP) in piglet jejunal tissues mounted in Ussing chambers. Tetrodotoxin was present in all solutions to inhibit neural activity. Carbachol added 10 min prior to 0.75 microM SP dose dependently inhibited subsequent SP responses, with 90% inhibition at 10 microM carbachol. Addition of an equipotent dose of SP (7.5 microM) had no effect on subsequent carbachol-induced secretion. Carbachol's inhibition of SP-induced secretion was evident for at least 45 min and was abolished by prior addition of the M3 receptor antagonist 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methyl-piperidine methiodide (4-DAMP), but remained intact in the presence of the M2 antagonist gallamine or the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine. Atropine added 10 min after carbachol restored subsequent SP responses toward control levels. Carbachol also reduced secretory responses to histamine and, to a lesser extent, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). SP-induced secretion was not affected by prior addition of histamine and was reduced by PGE2 only at the highest PGE2 concentration. The results suggest that activation of the epithelial M3 receptor by carbachol inhibits subsequent secretory responses to the calcium-mediated agonists SP and histamine in piglet jejunum. This may reflect muscarinic activation of a negative messenger in epithelial cells that limits Cl- secretion.