title: Bethanechol induced contraction in mouse spleen.
abstract: Bethanechol was shown to induce contraction in mouse spleen. The possibility of initiating such response by stimulating solely muscarinic receptors was tested in isolated spleens from mice. The present data showed that bethanechol was able to further increase the maximum splenic contraction induced by phenylephrine, suggesting that the bethanechol induced contraction was possibly unrelated to stimulating adrenergic receptors. Moreover, clonidine which was able to suppress the phenylephrine induced splenic contraction, was unable to suppress the splenic contraction induced by bethanechol, and this result supported the above notion. These data suggest that the bethanechol induced splenic contraction could be the result of a direct stimulation of muscarinic receptors in mouse spleens, and an indirect effect mediated through the stimulation by bethanechol of sympathetic neurotransmitter release from sympathetic varicosities seems unlikely.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming Medical College, Shih-Pai, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018723:Bethanechol; D001626:Bethanechol Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010277:Parasympathomimetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001626:Bethanechol Compounds; D010277:Parasympathomimetics; D018723:Bethanechol; D010656:Phenylephrine; D003000:Clonidine