Binding of [3H]Ro 5–4864 and [3H]PK 11195 to Cerebral Cortex and Peripheral Tissues of Various Species: Species Differences and Heterogeneity in Peripheral Benzodiazepine Binding Sites

The binding of 3H]PK 11195 and 3H]Ro 5-4864 to membrane preparations from cerebral cortex and peripheral tissues of various species was studied. 3H]PK 11195 (0.05-10 nM) bound with high affinity to rat and calf cerebral cortical and kidney membranes. 3H]Ro 5-4864 (0.05-30 nM) also successfully labeled rat cerebral cortical and kidney membranes, but in calf cerebral cortical and kidney membranes, its binding capacity was only 3 and 4%, respectively, of that of 3H]PK 11195. Displacement studies showed that unlabeled Ro 5-4864, diazepam, and flunitrazepam were much more potent in displacing 3H]PK 11195 from rat cerebral cortex and kidney membranes than from calf tissues. The potency of unlabeled Ro 5-4864 in displacing 3H]PK 11195 from the cerebral cortex of various other species was also tested, and the rank order of potency was rat = guinea pig greater than cat = dog greater than rabbit greater than calf. Analysis of these displacement curves revealed that Ro 5-4864 bound to two populations of binding sites from rat and calf kidney and from rat, guinea pig, rabbit, and calf cerebral cortex but to a single population of binding sites from cat and dog cerebral cortex. Using 3H]PK 11195 as a ligand, the rank order of binding capacity in cerebral cortex of various species was cat greater than calf greater than guinea pig greater than rabbit greater than dog greater than rat, whereas when 3H]Ro 5-4864 was used, the rank order of binding capacity was cat greater than guinea pig greater than rat greater than rabbit greater than calf greater than dog.