title: The use of the bovine retractor penis muscle for the assessment of ganglion-blocking activity of neuromuscular blocking and other drugs.
abstract: Inhibition of relaxation of strips of the bovine retractor penis muscle induced by a standard dose of nicotine (30 microM) was used for quantitative assessment of the ganglion-blocking activity of eight neuromuscular blocking agents that are in clinical use. The order of potency of the drugs studied was (+)-tubocurarine >> alcuronium > vecuronium > metocurine >> pancuronium > atracurium >>> suxamethonium > gallamine. The results have been compared to those obtained with other methods. On the basis of the present results, it is concluded that inhibition of the nicotine-induced relaxation of the bovine retractor penis muscle can be used as an alternative, sensitive in vitro method for the assessment of the ganglion-blocking activity of a neuromuscular blocking agent relative to that of, for example, (+)-tubocurarine. Earlier results have showed that this method is useful also for the assessment of the ganglion-blocking activity of other drugs, because it has yielded comparable and reproducible results at the quantitation of this property of actual ganglion-blocking and various antimuscarinic agents. In addition, this method may be useful for rapid screening of ganglion-blocking activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Klinge
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alaranta
authors.forename: U M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Parkkisenniemi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kostiainen
authors.forename: N O
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Sjöstrand
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D002417:Cattle; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D005730:Ganglionic Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects*; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010413:Penis / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D005730:Ganglionic Blockers; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents; D009538:Nicotine