Opioid mu and kappa receptors on axons of cholinergic excitatory motor neurons supplying the circular muscle of guinea-pig ileum.

In preparations of guinea-pig ileum comprising the circular muscle and the axonal processes of myenteric neurons, electrical stimulation evoked contractions of the circular muscle which were abolished by tetrodotoxin and by hyoscine, indicating that they resulted from action potential-mediated release of acetylcholine. The selective mu opioid agonist, (D-Ala2-N-Me-Phe4-Gly5-ol)-enkephalin (DAGO), and the selective kappa opioid agonist, trans-(+/-)-3,4-dichloro-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl) cyclohexyl) benzeneacetamide, U-50488H, caused concentration-dependent and naloxone-reversible inhibitions of nerve-mediated contractions. The experiments indicate that opioid mu and kappa receptors are present on the axonal processes of cholinergic excitatory motor neurons supplying the circular muscle of the guinea-pig ileum.