Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide induces vascular relaxation and inhibits non-vascular smooth muscle activity in the rabbit female genital tract.

In vitro effects of two bioactive forms of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP): PACAP-38 and PACAP-27 were studied on rabbit vascular and non-vascular smooth muscle. Segments of the ovarian artery and muscle strips from the fallopian tube were used. Two series of experiments were performed on vessels: the dose-response relationship of PACAP-38 (10(-10)-10(-7) M) was established on noradrenaline- (NA, 10(-6) M) contracted vessels. In the other set of experiments the contractile effect of 10(-8)-10(-4) M NA added cumulatively, was studied on arterial segments incubated with PACAP-38 (10(-7) M), PACAP-27 (10(-7) M) or VIP (10(-7) M). The effect of PACAP-38, PACAP-27 and VIP (10(-10)-10(-6) M) was investigated on spontaneously contracting smooth muscle of the fallopian tube. Longitudinally as well as transversally cut specimens were investigated. PACAP-38 produced a significant dose-related relaxation on the NA-precontracted vessels. However, pre-incubation of the vessels with 10(-7) M PACAP-38, PACAP-27 and vaso active intestinal polypeptide (VIP) did not induce a general rightward shift of the NA concentration-response curves, although a tendency to inhibition in the low-dose interval was observed. The peptides caused a significant, dose-dependent inhibition of both frequency and amplitude on the fallopian tube smooth muscle activity. The effects of the three peptides on longitudinally as well as transversally cut specimens were alike.