Effects of autonomic drugs on in vivo recording of electromyograms of canine renal pelvis and ureter.

The effects of the autonomic drugs (noradrenaline, isoproterenol and acetylcholine) and the urine volume change on the pacemaker of ureteral peristalsis were studied by our new method of the in vivo recording of electromyograms (EMGs) of canine renal pelvis. The EMGs of the pelvicalyceal region showed a two phasic slow-rising potential of amplitude of 20 microV and discharge interval of 5 s and was different from propagated waves and therefore considered to be the pacemaker potentials. In the diuretic state the pacemaker potentials kept a constant discharge interval. On the contrary, the discharge interval of the ureter EMG became shorter and finally corresponded to the pacemaker EMG one to one. These results suggest that the urine transport in the diuretic state is controlled by the change of efficiency of the peristaltic propagation and not by the changes of the discharge of the pacemaker itself. Noradrenaline promoted the ureteral peristalsis and isoproterenol inhibited the ureteral peristalsis. These two drugs had no effects on the pacemaker potentials. Acetylcholine had a great variety of the effects on the ureter EMG and the pacemaker EMG separately. These results suggest that the pacemaker of the ureteral peristalsis is controlled under the influence of the parasympathetic system and the ureter is controlled under the influence of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic system.