Increase in muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in mouse intestine by hexamethonium treatment

The effects of hexamethonium (C6) administration on muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mACh-R) in the intestine and brain of mice were investigated. Mice were treated with C6 with an osmotic mini-pump (330 mg/kg/day) for one week and then the binding of 3H-quinuclidinylbenzilate (3H-QNB) in the intestine and brain were assayed. This treatment increased the maximum specific binding (Bmax) of 3H-QNB from 160 to 320 fmoles/mg protein in the ileum and from 190 to 340 fmoles/mg protein in the rectum, without affecting the KD values in these regions. On the contrary, C6 treatment did not change the Bmax or KD value in brain tissues. This C6 treatment increased the sensitivity of the contractile response of the intestine to muscarinic agonists, possibly by increasing mACh-R.