Background L-glutamate （L-GLU） is a major neurotransmitter in the nucleus ambiguus （NA）, which can modulate respiration, arterial pressure, heart rate, etc. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of L-GLU microinjected into NA on gastric motility in rats. Methods A latex balloon connected with a pressure transducer was inserted into the pylorus through the forestomach for continuous recording of the gastric motility. The total amplitude, total duration, and motility index of gastric contraction waves within 5 minutes before microinjection and after microinjection were measured. Results L-GLU （5 nmol, 10 nmol and 20 nmol in 50 nl normal saline （PS） respectively） microinjected into the right NA significantly inhibited gastric motility, while microinjection of physiological saline at the same position and the same volume did not change the gastric motility. The inhibitory effect was blocked by D-2-amino-5-phophonovalerate （D-AP5, 5 nmol, in 50 nl PS）, the specific N-methyI-D-aspartic acid （NMDA） receptor antagonist, but was not influenced by 6-cyaon-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-（1H,4H）-dione （CNQX） （5 nmol, in 50 nl PS）, the non-NMDA ionotropic receptor antagonist. Bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy abolished the inhibitory effect by microinjection of L-GLU into NA. Conclusions Microinjection of L-GLU into NA inhibits the gastric motility through specific NMDA receptor activity, not non-NMDA receptor activity, and the efferent pathway is the vagal nerves.
＜正＞Objective:The effects of restraint water-immersion stress（RWIS） on pituitary,pineal body,thyroid, pancreati...
Peng-Fei LI,Meng-Jie ZHAO,Hong-Bin AI,Xi-Yun CUI~* Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance of Shandong Province,College of Life Sciences,Shandong Normal University,Jinan 250014, China
＜正＞Objective:Restraint water-immersion stress（RWIS）,considered to be a mixture of physical and psychological s...
Meng-Jie ZHAO,Peng-Fei LI,Hong-Bin AI,Xi-Yun CUI~* Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance of Shandong Province,College of Life Sciences,Shandong Normal University,Jinan 250014, China
