Functional innervation of the biliary sphincter of the guinea-pig revealed by anti-autonomic drugs.

1. The roles of excitatory and inhibitory intrinsic motor nerves on contractions reflexly evoked by wall distension were investigated in the isolated sphincter of Oddi of the guinea-pig (SO-GP). 2. Distension of the terminal bile duct for 30-60 s time periods increased the frequency of contractions from about 2 to 12 min(-1) (n = 16). 3. Hexamethonium (HEX; 300 microM) largely prevented the distension-evoked increase in contraction frequency (4.5 min(-1), n = 8) as did atropine (ATR; 1 microM) (0.8 min(-1), n = 6), while tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1 microM) blocked the contractions triggered during distension. 4. L-nitroarginine (L-NA; 100 microM) significantly increased the frequency of contractions during and in the absence distension while apamin (APAM; 0.5 microM) significantly increased their frequency and doubled their mean amplitude during distension. 5. These results suggest that distension activates excitatory cholinergic motor nerves to increase the frequency of contractions in the SO-GP. These actions are modulated by the concomitant activation of intrinsic nitrergic and non-nitrergic inhibitory motor nerves.