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Melatonin attenuates the acetylcholine-induced contraction in isolated intestine of a teleost fish

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Abstract

The present study investigates the possible direct actions of melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) on intestinal motility in goldfish (Carassius auratus) using an in vitro system of isolated intestine in an organ bath engaged to an isometric transducer. The longitudinal strips from goldfish intestine in the organ bath showed a resting spontaneous myogenic rhythmic activity which is not altered by melatonin. The addition of acetylcholine (1 nmol l−1–10 mmol l−1) to the organ bath induces a significant contraction of the intestinal strips in a concentration-dependent manner. The addition of melatonin and its agonist, 2-iodomelatonin, induced a concentration-dependent attenuation of acetylcholine-induced contractile response. The specificity of this effect is tested by the preincubation of the intestine strips in the presence of two melatoninergic antagonists, luzindole (a non-selective MT1/MT2 melatonin receptor antagonist) and 4-P-PDOT (preferred antagonist of MT2 receptor subtype), which counteracted the melatonin-induced relaxation in a concentration-dependent manner. Finally, present results demonstrate that this melatoninergic effect on intestinal strips is a process highly dependent on extracellular calcium. In conclusion, this is the first study demonstrating the role of melatonin in the control of gut motility in a non-mammalian vertebrate. The melatonin effects on isolated intestine from goldfish are mediated by melatoninergic membrane receptors, and could suggest a delay in food transit time, supporting its anorectic effect reported on in vivo studies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Social Fund (project AGL2007-65744-C03-03) and by the University Complutense of Madrid/Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (project CCG07-UCM/AGR-2500). E. Velarde and C. Azpeleta are predoctoral fellows from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiología (Fisiología Animal II), Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense, Calle José Antonio Nováis 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Elena Velarde, Angel Luis Alonso-Gómez, Clara Azpeleta, Esther Isorna & María Jesús Delgado

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  1. Elena Velarde
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  2. Angel Luis Alonso-Gómez
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  3. Clara Azpeleta
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  4. Esther Isorna
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  5. María Jesús Delgado
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Correspondence to María Jesús Delgado.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier.

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Velarde, E., Alonso-Gómez, A.L., Azpeleta, C. et al. Melatonin attenuates the acetylcholine-induced contraction in isolated intestine of a teleost fish. J Comp Physiol B 179, 951–959 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-009-0373-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-009-0373-1

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