Abstract
AMONG the indolic compounds formed from tryptophane in animal intestine, indole, skatole and indolethylamine are those reported to have the strongest pharmacological action. Their effect on plain or striated muscle has been studied in the past, either in vivo or in the isolated organs, although with no clear and consistent results1–5. More recently, Torda and Wolff6 have examined the effect of indole, skatole, indole-3-acetate and tryptophane on the sensitivity of frog striated muscle to acetylcholine and potassium, finding that only indole increases the response to acetylcholine, while indole, skatole and indoleacetate increase the potassium effect. Since the presence in the bowel of indole and allied compounds seems to be a normal fact7, and that the intestinal membrane can absorb and fix significant amounts of indole8, and presumably other indole compounds as well, it seemed interesting to study their effect on the intestinal smooth muscle, as it might have implications in regard to the alterations of intestine motility.
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IZQUIERDO, J., STOPPANI, A. Effect of Indole and some Indolic Compounds on Muscle Sensitivity to Acetylcholine and Potassium. Nature 166, 734 (1950). https://doi.org/10.1038/166734a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/166734a0
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