| Introduction to LabTutor |
Familiarization with LabTutor software and PowerLab hardware. Basic features of acquisition, analysis and reporting are covered using LabTutor. |
| Airways Resistance |
In this laboratory, students will investigate some of the responses of airways smooth muscle to inflammatory mediators, neurotransmitters, and anti-asthma drugs. The guinea pig trachea provides a robust smooth muscle preparation that can be mounted in an organ bath and attached to a force transducer, enabling students to measure smooth muscle contraction. |
| Chick Biventer Cervicis |
The chick biventer cervicis muscle has both fast and slow muscle fibers. Stimulation of the attached tendon nerve causes twitch responses. The effects of drugs on fast and slow muscle fibers are examined. |
| Mammalian Atria |
The spontaneously beating atria from the heart of a small animal can be used to show a variety of responses to drugs that affect the frequency and strength of muscle contraction. |
| Mammalian Diaphragm |
Myasthenia gravis is a disorder of the transmission of nerve signals at the neuromuscular junction. Treatment of myasthenia gravis usually involves the use of anticholinesterase drugs. This experiment examines how these drugs affects the neuromuscular junction. |
| Mammalian Heart |
In this laboratory, you will explore the effects of drugs on the isolated rabbit heart, using a Langendorff apparatus in which the heart is perfused via its coronary arteries with oxygenated physiological saline, which keeps the cardiac muscle viable in vitro for a few hours. The student will explore the effects of various neurotransmitters and drugs on the heart. |
| Mammalian Jejunum |
When people get anxious they tend to get some diarrhea. This experiment examines the role of the sympathetic nervous system in this response. |
| Mammalian Uterus |
The isolated uterus of a rat or guinea pig provides a good example of a tissue containing inhibitory β2-adrenoreceptors. Stimulatory agonists such as oxytocin can also be studied in this preparation. |
| Stimulated Ileum |
The classic guinea pig ileum preparation has many uses in undergraduate student laboratory classes, ranging from dose–response studies to demonstration of selective antagonism. |
| Unstimulated Ileum |
The classic guinea pig ileum preparation has many uses in undergraduate student laboratory classes, ranging from dose–response studies to demonstration of selective antagonism. |
| Stimulated Rat Vas Deferens |
The isolated rat vas deferens is rich in sympathetic innervation, this preparation is useful for showing the effects of a-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists, and a range of drugs that presynaptically inhibit neurotransmission. |
| Unstimulated Rat Vas Deferens |
The isolated rat vas deferens is rich in sympathetic innervation, and is useful in showing the effects of a-adrenoreceptor agonists and antagonists, and a range of drugs that presynaptically inhibit neurotransmission. |
| Toad Rectus Abdominis |
Toad rectus abdominis muscle shows only slow contractile responses, since it does not contain fast muscle fibres. The effects of drugs on the slow muscle fibres present can therefore be examined. |
| Mammalian Blood Pressure - Drug Effects |
The following experiment uses a small mammal, rabbit, to investigate the actions of various pharmacological agents on the arterial blood blood pressure. |
| Vascular Resistance |
In this set of exercises, students perfuse the isolated hind limb of the rat at a constant flow and record the changes in pressure required to maintain this flow. Hence, pressure and hence vascular resistance can be measured directly. |
| Vascular Smooth Muscle |
Vascular smooth muscle, such as arterial rings, can be used to show not only responses to classical autonomic drugs, but also the more recently discovered role of the endothelium in modulating vascular responses. In this set of experiments, students will use arterial rings from pig coronary artery to explore these drug effects. |
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