Effect of collagenase on mechanical activity and fine structure of an intestinal smooth muscle.

The effect of the enzyme collagenase (40-200 units-ml-1) on the spontaneous mechanical activity in vitro and on the fine structure of the activity of the taenia was enhanced both in the isometric and isotonic recordings; after several minutes the muscles became slack or elongated to up to twice their resting lengths. The structural changes were dramatic but a number of muscle cells remained apparently unaltered even with the highest concentration and the longest incubation time (120 minutes). The large variety of structural changes were tentatively grouped into two separate sequences. One sequence involved swelling of the muscle cell, dispersion of the filaments and breaking up of the cell membrane: the thick myofilaments increased considerably in size and became heterogeneous in size and shape, but were still recognizable after disruption of the cell membrane. The other disruptive sequence involved separation of the superficial part of the muscle cell, which became electron-lucent, from the core of the cell where filaments were very densely packed. Few or no changes were observed in non-muscle cells.