title: The effect of body weight on the calcitonin gene-related peptide-induced relaxation of guinea pig gallbladder strips.
abstract: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been reported to relax, in a concentration-dependent manner, cholecystokinin-induced tension in guinea pig gallbladder strips. It is now shown that this CGRP-induced relaxation is body weight dependent with the degree of relaxation inversely related to weight. Radioimmunoassay demonstrated that the amount of CGRP in the gallbladder increased with body weight. Receptor binding showed that the number of binding sites and the affinity of the receptor decreased with increasing body weight. CGRP may play a role in the normal pattern of gallbladder contraction and relaxation. Decreased motility, even between periods of complete emptying, has been demonstrated to have a role in gallbladder diseases. The decreased sensitivity of the gallbladder to CGRP may explain the increase in abnormalities with age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada.
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Kline
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Pang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000502:physiology*; D002766:Cholecystokinin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000502:physiology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002766:Cholecystokinin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide