AIMToinvestigatetheeffectofgingeroloncolonicmotilityandtheactionofL-typecalciumchannelcurrentsinthisprocess.METHODS：ThedistalcolonwascutalongthemesentericborderandcleanedwithCa^2＋-freephysiologicalsalinesolution.MusclestripswereremovedandplacedinCa^2＋-freephysiologicalsalinesolution,whichwasoxygenatedcontinuously.Longitudinalsmoothmusclesampleswerepreparedbycuttingalongthemusclestripsandwerethenplacedinachamber.Mechanicalcontractileactivitiesofisolatedcolonicsegmentsinratswererecordedbya4-channelphysiograph.Colonsmoothmusclecellsweredissociatedbyenzymaticdigestion.L-typecalciumcurrentswererecordedusingtheconventionalwhole-cellpatch-clamptechnique.RESULTS：Gingerolinhibitedthespontaneouscontractionofcoloniclongitudinalsmoothmuscleinadose-dependentmannerwithinhibitionpercentagesof13.3%±4.1%,43.4%±3.9%,78.2%±3.6%and80.5%±4.5%at25μmol/L,50μmol/L,75μmol/Land100μmol/L,respectively（P〈0.01）.Nifedipine,anL-typecalciumchannelblocker,diminishedtheinhibitionofcolonicmotilitybygingerol.GingerolinhibitedL-typecalciumchannelcurrentsincoloniclongitudinalmyocytesofrats.Ata75μmol/Lconcentrationofgingerol,thepercentageofgingerolinducedinhibitionwasdiminishedbynifedipinefrom77.1%±4.2%to42.6%±3.6%（P〈0.01）.GingerolsuppressedIBainadose-dependentmanner,andtheinhibitionrateswere22.7%±2.38%,35.77%±3.14%,49.78%±3.48%and53.78%±4.16%ofcontrolat0mV,respectively,atconcentrationsof25μmol/L,50μmol/L,75μmol/Land100μmol/L（P〈0.01）.Thesteady-stateactivationcurvewasshiftedtotherightbytreatmentwithgingerol.Thevalueofhalfactivationwas-14.23±1.12mVinthecontrolgroupand-10.56±1.04mVinthe75μmol/Lgroup（P〈0.05）withslopefactors,Ks,of7.16±0.84and7.02±0.93（P〈0.05）inthecontroland75μmol/Lgroups,respectively.However,thesteady-st
