Current spread in the smooth muscle of the rabbit aorta

Abstract

1. The electrical responses of the smooth muscle cells of the rabbit aorta to both extracellular and intracellular stimulation were studied using the partitioned chamber and Wheatstone bridge method. 2. No spontaneous electrical activity was recorded when the tissue was soaked in either isotonic or hypertonic Krebs solutions, and strong depolarizing currents also failed to trigger action potentials in either solution. 3. The circular muscle of the aorta has cable properties. Mean values in isotonic Krebs solution were 2·1 mm for space constant and 433 msec for time constant. 4. The input resistance (mean 12 MΩ) measured with the Wheatstone bridge method was considerably smaller than that calculated from values measured with the partitioned chamber method. 5. Electrotonic potentials could be recorded from the smooth muscle of ‘injury bundles’ although their amplitude was smaller than that from the intact bundle. 6. High concentrations of noradrenaline readily induce oscillatory potentials from the aorta in both isotonic and hypertonic Krebs solutions. It was estimated by simultaneous recording with two micro‐electrodes that noradrenaline‐induced oscillatory potential can conduct in both longitudinal and transverse directions of the smooth muscle. 7. These results suggest that the smooth muscle of the aorta behaves like a syncytium or single unit muscle and activation of cells on the inner surface of the media can be induced both by electrotonic current spread and by propagation of oscillatory potentials from the outer cells directly activated by the transmitter. © 1974 The Physiological Society