Final answer:
The chemical known as Vagusstoff, discovered by Loewi, was later identified as the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is key for nerve impulse transmission and plays a vital role in the autonomic nervous system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The chemical that Loewi initially called Vagusstoff turned out to be acetylcholine (ACh).
This discovery was significant for understanding how nerve impulses transmit chemically across synapses.
Loewi's experiment involved stimulating the vagus nerve of one frog's heart and observing the slowing of the heart rate. He hypothesized that a substance was released by the vagal stimulation, which he termed Vagusstoff.
This substance was later identified as the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine is also the neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction and is involved in triggering
depolarization. It binds at motor end-plates and plays a crucial role in the function of the autonomic nervous system.
It can act on nicotinic and muscarinic receptors within the body, affecting various physiological processes.