Figure 3

Cumulative concentration-response curves for carbachol-induced contractions of jejunal circular muscle preparations. Contractions are expressed as tension, i.e. adjusted with the CSA-formula, using dry tissue weight. A: Mean responses (with SEM) of control (n = 5) and allergic mice (n = 8) are shown. B: Only the allergic mice with diarrhoea (n = 5) are compared with controls. The asterix (*) indicates statistically significant difference (Fig. B: P = 0.016) between the two groups at the respective carbachol concentration (Mann-Whitney's U-test). To evaluate differences in response to carbachol, slope of the dose-response curve was calculated for each animal for carbachol concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 3.3 μM (shaded area). The mean slope values differed significantly between the groups only when allergic mice with diarrhoea (n = 5) were compared with the control mice (Fig. B: P = 0.048).