The effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide on the electrical activity of guinea-pig intestinal smooth muscle.

The effect of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) on the electrical activity of the smooth muscle of the guinea-pig taenia coli has been examined using the single sucrose gap apparatus. VIP usually caused a slowly developing, long-lasting membrane hyperpolarisation, although sometimes it reduced the frequency of spontaneous spike discharge without hyperpolarising the membrane. In contrast, non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerve stimulation initiated rapid membrane hyperpolarisation followed by post inhibitory excitation. In the presence of apamin, the VIP response was little affected, whereas the responses to non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerve stimulation were either markedly antagonised or reversed to membrane depolarisation. Consideration is given to the possible role of either VIP or ATP as the neurotransmitter responsible for the inhibitory junction potential elicited in the guinea-pig taenia coli in response to non-adrenergic inhibitory nerve stimulation.