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Effects of Ethyl Alcohol on Canine Jejunal Circular Smooth Muscle

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Abstract

Ethyl alcohol has many symptomatic effects onthe gastrointestinal tract. Our aim was to determine theeffects of ethyl alcohol on circular smooth musclecontractility of the canine small bowel. Mechanical and intracellular electrical recordings weremade in vitro from the circular muscle of full-thicknessstrips of muscularis externa from canine jejunum. Ethylalcohol (20-120 mM) dose-dependently decreased spontaneous contractile amplitude,hyperpolarized the resting membrane potential, anddecreased the amplitude of the slow wave. Ethyl alcoholalso decreased the amplitude of the inhibitory junctionpotential (during electrical field stimulation-EFS) butdid not alter the maximum absolute cell-polarizedpotential reached during EFS. An increase inextracellular calcium (15 mM) partially restoredspontaneous contractile amplitude, resting membranepotential, and slow-wave amplitude. Ethyl alcoholdecreased the amplitude of contractions evoked byacetylcholine, CCK, and substance P. These data suggestthat ethyl alcohol has direct effects on jejunal smoothmuscle contractility. These effects can be partiallyreversed by increasing the availability of extracellularcalcium.

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Lu, G., Sarr, M.G. & Szurszewski, J.H. Effects of Ethyl Alcohol on Canine Jejunal Circular Smooth Muscle. Dig Dis Sci 42, 2403–2410 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018827604434

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018827604434

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