Somatostatin stimulates the brush-tailed possum sphincter of Oddi in vitro and in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
Somatostatin, a neuropeptide and hormone, is found in the biliary tract of several species. The aim of this study was to map the distribution of somatostatin-like immunoreactive nerve fibers in the extrahepatic biliary tract of the Australian possum and to determine the pharmacological effects of somatostatin 1-14 on sphincter of Oddi activity in vitro and in vivo.


METHODS
Tissue was harvested for immunohistochemistry and sphincter of Oddi for circular or longitudinal muscle contractility. In anesthetized possums, sphincter of Oddi motility was measured by manometry, and transsphincteric flow was measured gravimetrically.


RESULTS
Somatostatin immunoreactivity was evident in gallbladder ganglia nerve cell bodies and in nerve fibers of the common bile duct and sphincter of Oddi. Somatostatin 1-14 increased circular and longitudinal muscle contraction amplitude 3-4-fold (P < 0.05), but only the longitudinal muscle contraction amplitude was tetrodotoxin sensitive. Somatostatin 1-14 stimulated spontaneous sphincter of Oddi motility in a tetrodotoxin-insensitive manner, increasing basal pressure, contraction frequency, and amplitude 2-4-fold (P < 0.05) and reducing transsphincteric flow to 25% of control (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity is present in the extrahepatic biliary tree, and somatostatin 1-14 stimulates sphincter of Oddi smooth muscle and nerves. The major action is direct stimulation of sphincter of Oddi circular muscle, which reduces transsphincteric flow.
Department of Surgery, Flinders University, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
J
J
Huang
R T
RT
Padbury
A C
AC
Schloithe
M R
MR
Cox
M E
ME
Simula
J R
JR
Harvey
R A
RA
Baker
J
J
Toouli
G T
GT
Saccone
D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000166:cytology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009893:Opossums; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009803:Sphincter of Oddi / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology
D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D013004:Somatostatin