Action of Nicotinic Stimulant Agents on Rabbit Skeletal Muscle I. Nicotine and Acetylcholine

Abstract

In the unanesthetized rabbit, tremors of the hind legs and muscle contractions of the gastrocnemius muscle induced by intraven. doses of nicotine tartrate or acetylcholine are not prevented by acute or chronic section of the sciatic nerve. It is concluded that nicotine exerts, in addition to a central action, a separate and distinct peripheral effect on mammalian striated muscle.