Abstract
CATECHOLAMINES exert most of their biological actions through two main types of pharmacological receptor which are usually described as α and β, following Ahlquist1. It has recently been shown that in smooth muscle the α receptors act by increasing the permeability of the cell membranes to inorganic ions2,3. In intestinal muscle, the permeability increase is chiefly to potassium and perhaps chloride so that the outcome is hyperpolarization and inhibition of electrical activity, whereas in most other kinds of smooth muscle it is likely that the permeability increase extends to Na and to Ca, as well as to K, so that the membrane potential falls, leading to excitation and contraction.
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HAYLETT, D., JENKINSON, D. Effects of Noradrenaline on the Membrane Potential and Ionic Permeability of Parenchymal Cells in the Liver of the Guinea-pig. Nature 224, 80–81 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/224080a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/224080a0
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