Involvement of 5-hydroxytryptamine7 receptors in inhibition of porcine myometrial contractility by 5-hydroxytryptamine

Abstract

1. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; 1 nM-100 μM) concentration-dependently inhibited the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous contractions in longitudinal and circular muscles of the porcine myometrium. The circular muscle (EC50; 68-84 nM) was more sensitive than the longitudinal muscle (EC50; 1.3-1.44 μM) to 5-HT. To characterize the 5-HT receptor subtype responsible for inhibition of myometrial contractility, the effects of 5-HT receptor agonists on spontaneous contractions and of 5-HT receptor antagonists on inhibition by 5-HT were examined in circular muscle preparations. 2. Pretreatment with tetrodotoxin (1 μM), propranolol (1 μM), atropine (1 μM), guanethidine (10 μM) or L-NAME (100 μM) failed to change the inhibition by 5-HT, indicating that the inhibition was due to a direct action of 5-HT on the smooth muscle cells. 3. 5-CT, 5-MeOT and 8-OH-DPAT mimicked the inhibitory response of 5-HT, and the rank order of the potency was 5-CT > 5-HT > 5-MeOT > 8-OH-DPAT. On the other hand, oxymethazoline, α-methyl-5-HT, 2-methyl-5-HT, cisapride, BIMU-1, BIMU-8, ergotamine and dihydroergotamine had almost no effect on spontaneous contractions, even at 10-100 μM. 4. Inhibition by 5-HT was not decreased by either pindolol (1 μM), ketanserin (1 μM), tropisetron (10 μM), MDL72222 (1 μM) or GR113808 (10 μM), but was antagonized by the following compounds in a competitive manner (with pA2 values in parentheses): methiothepin (8.05), methysergide (7.92), metergoline (7.4), mianserin (7.08), clozapine (7.06) and spiperone (6.86). 5. Ro 20-1724 (20 μM) and rolipram (10 μM) significantly enhanced the inhibitory response of 5-HT, but neither zaprinast (10 μM) nor dipyridamole (10 μM) altered the response of 5-HT. 6. 5-HT (1 nM-1 μM) caused a concentration-dependent accumulation of intracellular cyclic AMP in the circular muscle. 7. From the present results, the 5-HT receptor, which is functionally correlated with the 5-HT7 receptor, mediates the inhibitory effect of 5-HT on porcine myometrial contractility. This inhibitory response is probably due to an increase in intracellular cyclic AMP through the activation of adenylate cyclase that is positively coupled to 5-HT7 receptors.