[Metabolic, electrophysiological and structural effects of dicaine and trimecaine on tissue bushy receptors]

Abstract

By means of a complex technique, including electrophysiological control, vital microscopy, cytophotometry and electron microscopy, reaction of the tissue bushy receptors of the frog urinary bladder to the effect of 0.05% solution of tetracaine hydrochloride (TeH) and trimecaine hydrochloride (TrH) has been investigated. Together with fading afferent impulse activity, the level of restorative equivalents increases sharply; this demonstrates that the anaesthetics influence not only plasmolemma but cytosol of the terminal. In neuroplasm of the terminal plates and receptor fibers certain ultrastructural changes take place (rearrangement of organelles, changes in vesicles, accumulation of glycogen granules). These changes are interpreted as functional-adaptive. Simultaneously, the character of vital staining of the receptors also changes (saturation of the colour, granule formation and time of decoloration). Certain specificity is noted in reaction of the receptors to TeH and TrH. The latter alters more essentially the microstructure both at the effect during 2 and 20 min. The effect of the local anaesthetics is evidently determined not only by the membranotropic effect, but by the influence on the cytosol of the terminal.