Ethanol-Induced Inhibition of [3H]Thienylcyclohexylpiperidine (TCP) Binding to NMDA Receptors in Brain Synaptic Membranes and to a Purified Protein Complex

Abstract: N -Methyl- d -asparate receptors (NMDARs) are a major target of ethanol effects in the nervous system. Haloperidol-insensitive, but dizocilpine (MK-801)-sensitive, binding of N -[1-(2-[³H]thienyl)cyclohexyl]piperidine ([³H]TCP) to synaptic membranes has the characteristics of ligand interaction with the ion channel of NMDARs. In the present studies, ethanol produced a concentration-dependent decrease in the maximal activation of [³H]TCP binding to synaptic membranes by NMDA and Gly, but a moderate change in the activation by l -Glu when l -Glu was present at concentrations < 100 µ M . However, ethanol (100 m M ) inhibited completely the activation of [³H]TCP binding produced by high concentrations of l -Glu (200–400 µ M ). It also inhibited strongly the activation of [³H]TCP binding by spermidine or spermidine plus Gly. In a purified complex of proteins that has l -Glu-, Gly-, and [³H]TCP-binding sites, ethanol (100 m M ) decreased significantly the maximal activation of [³H]TCP binding produced by either l -Glu or Gly. Activation constants ( K _act) for l -Glu and Gly acting on the purified complex were 12 and 28 µ M, respectively. Ethanol had no significant effect on the K _act of l -Glu but caused an increase in the K _act of Gly. These studies have identified at least one protein complex in neuronal membranes whose response to both l -Glu and Gly is inhibited by ethanol. These findings may explain some of the effects of acute and chronic ethanol treatment on the function and expression of the subunits of this complex in brain neurons.     

Comparison of the Binding of [3H]Spiperone and [3H]Domperidone in Homogenates of Mammalian Retina and Caudate Nucleus

Abstract— The specific binding of [³H]spiperone and [³H]domperidone, as defined by 1 μ m -(+)butaclamol, was compared in homogenates of bovine retina and caudate nucleus. Scatchard analyses of saturation data for [³H]spiperone binding yielded dissociation constants ( K _d) of 0.35 n m in the retina and 0.64 n m in the caudate nucleus. Comparison of the maximum number of binding sites (B_max) present in each tissue indicated that the density of sites in bovine caudate nucleus (270 fmol/mg protein) was approximately three times higher than in bovine retina (92 fmol/mg protein). This difference was even more marked in guinea pig tissues, with a ratio of 7:1 between corpus striatum and retina. The pharmacological analysis of [³H]spiperone binding in both the bovine retina and caudate nucleus indicated an interaction with dopaminergic rather than serotonergic sites. However, inhibition curves obtained to dopaminergic agonists in the bovine retina were significantly steeper than those observed in the bovine caudate nucleus, as reflected in the greater Hill coefficients obtained for these agents in the retina. Furthermore, only a small amount of specific [³H]domperidone binding was observed in either the bovine caudate nucleus or the guinea pig striatum, whilst no specific [³H]domperidone binding was detectable in homogenates of either bovine or guinea pig retina. These data suggest that the retina possesses only a small population of dopaminergic D2 sites and that these binding sites may differ from those present in the caudate nucleus.     

Medium Isotope Effect in [3H]Diazepam Binding to Benzodiazepine Receptors of Synaptic Membranes

Replacement of H2O by D2O resulted in significantly higher amount of [3H]diazepam specifically bound to synaptic membranes. The isotope effect arises from increased number of binding sites in D2O and is associated with a stronger solvation of membrane receptors by heavy water.     

Glycine Receptors in the Human Substantia Nigra as Defined by [3H]Strychnine Binding

Abstract: Specific [³H]strychnine binding was used to identify the glycine receptor macromolecular complex in human spinal cord, substantia nigra, inferior olivary nucleus, and cerebral cortex. In material from control patients a high-affinity K d (3–8 n m ) was observed in the spinal cord and the substantia nigra, both the pars compacta and the pars reticulata. This is very similar to the values observed in the rat and bovine spinal cord (8 and 3 n m , respectively) and rat substantia nigra (12 n m ). In the human brain the distribution of [³H]strychnine binding (at 10 n m ) was: spinal cord – substantia nigra, pars compacta > substantia nigra, pars reticulata = inferior olivary nucleus > cerebral cortex. The binding capacity ( B _max) of the rat brain (substantia nigra or spinal cord) was approximately 10-fold that of the human brain. [ ³ H]Strychnine binding was significantly decreased in the substantia nigra from Parkinson's disease patients, both in the pars compacta (67% of control) and the pars reticulata (50% of control), but not in the inferior olivary nucleus. The results were reproduced in a preliminary experiment in rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the medial forebrain bundle. In the substantia nigra from patients who died with Huntington's disease, [³H]strychnine binding tended to be high (150% of control, NS) in both the pars compacta and the reticulata. [³H]Strychnine binding was unaltered in the substantia nigra of patients with senile dementia. Together with previous neurophysiological and neuropharmacological findings, those results support the hypothesis of glycine receptors occurring on dopamine cell bodies and/or dendrites in the substantia nigra.     

[3H]Citalopram Binding to Brain and Platelet Membranes of Human and Rat

Citalopram, a selective serotonin (5-HT) uptake inhibitor with antidepressant properties, was found to bind with high affinity to the 5-HT transporter from human neuronal and platelet membranes. At 20 degrees C, KD was about 1.5 nM in both tissues. [3H]Citalopram bound to rat neuronal membranes with higher affinity than to human neuronal and platelet membranes; at 20 degrees C KD was about 0.7 nM. The Bmax value for the binding of [3H]citalopram to platelet membranes was close to that found using the 5-HT uptake inhibitors [3H]imipramine and [3H]paroxetine, suggesting that all three 5-HT uptake inhibitors bind to the 5-HT transporter. The dissociation rate of [3H]citalopram increased twofold with each 4-5 degree C increase in temperature in both human and rat membranes, although at any given temperature, the dissociation rate was about four times faster in the human neuronal and platelet membranes than in rat neuronal membranes.     

Relationship Between [3H]Mazindol Binding to Dopamine Uptake Sites and [3H]Dopamine Uptake in Rat Striatum During Aging

Certain drugs exhibit a remarkable correlation between their ability to inhibit synaptosomal uptake of dopamine and the binding of [3H]mazindol to striatal membranes. To investigate the role of mazindol binding sites in the dopamine uptake process and the fate of these sites (labeling dopaminergic neurons) during aging, we have examined the properties of mazindol binding and dopamine uptake in individual young and old rats. There was a 48% decrease (p = 0.0001) in the Bmax of mazindol binding and a 23% decrease (p = 0.0166) in the Vmax of dopamine uptake with no apparent change in their affinities with age. Regression analysis of the relationship between Bmax and Vmax exhibited a significant correlation in old (p = 0.0156) but not young rats (p = 0.1398). These data suggest that the number of mazindol binding sites decreases with age and that the number of sites on the dopamine transporter complex far exceeds the number required to elicit maximal dopamine uptake.     

D2 Dopamine Receptors on Bovine Chromaffin Cell Membranes: Identification and Characterization by [3H]N-Methylspiperone Binding

Although dopamine-containing cells are known to be present in sympathetic ganglia, the site of action and the role of dopamine in ganglion function remain obscure. In the present work, we evaluated the interaction of dopamine receptor ligands with particulate membrane fractions from bovine chromaffin cells and adrenal medullary homogenates using the D2 dopamine receptor radioligand [3H]N-methylspiperone ([3H]NMSP). Scatchard analysis of [3H]NMSP saturation experiments revealed a Bmax of 24.1 +/- 1.6 fmol/mg of protein and a KD of 0.23 +/- 0.03 nM in the particulate fraction from adrenal medulla homogenates and a Bmax of 26.5 +/- 2.7 fmol/mg of membrane protein and a KD of 0.25 +/- 0.02 nM in the particulate fraction prepared from isolated adrenal chromaffin cells. There were approximately 1,000 receptors/cell. There were no detectable levels of specific [3H]NMSP binding in the particulates prepared from adrenal cortical or capsular homogenates. Competition studies with the nonradioactive D2 receptor antagonists spiperone, chlorpromazine, and (-)-sulpiride revealed KI values of 0.28, 21, and 196 nM, respectively. The (+) isomer of butaclamol displayed a 604-fold higher affinity than the (-) isomer. Competition studies with the dopamine receptor agonists dopamine and apomorphine revealed affinities of 3,960 and 417 nM, respectively. A correlation coefficient of 0.96 was obtained in studies comparing the potencies of drugs in inhibiting specific [3H]NMSP binding in bovine adrenal medullary homogenates and in inhibiting specific [3H]NMSP binding to brain D2 dopamine receptors. In summary, radiolabeling studies using [3H]NMSP have revealed the presence of D2 dopamine receptors on bovine adrenal chromaffin cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ontogeny of Receptor Binding Sites for [3H]Glutamic Acid and [3H]Kainic Acid in the Rat Cerebellum

The development of the specific binding sites for L-[3H]glutamic acid (KD = 370 nM) and for [3H]kainic acid (KD = 39 nM) was studied in the rat cerebellum. Specific binding at both sites remains low during the first week after birth but increases markedly during the second and third weeks after birth, when glutamatergic parallel fiber synaptogenesis occurs. The development of the kainate site lags behind that of the glutamate site, indicating their autonomy.     

Formation of [3H]Inositol Metabolites in Rat Hippocampal Formation Slices Prelabelled with [3H]Inositol and Stimulated with Carbachol

Rat hippocampal formation slices were prelabelled with [3H]inositol and stimulated with carbachol for times between 7 s and 3 min. The [3H]inositol metabolites in an acid extract of the slices were resolved with anion-exchange HPLC. Carbachol dramatically increased the concentration of [3H]inositol monophosphate, [3H]inositol bisphosphate (two isomers), [3H]inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate, [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, and [3H]inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. The levels of [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate rose most rapidly; they were maximally elevated after only 7 s and declined toward control levels in 1 min followed by a more sustained elevation in levels for up to 3 min. When [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate was incubated with hippocampal formation homogenates in an ATP-containing buffer it was very rapidly metabolised. After 5 min [3H]inositol 1,4-bisphosphate, [3H]inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate, and [3H]inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate could be detected in the homogenates. Under similar experimental conditions [3H]inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate is metabolised to [3H]inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate and an inositol bisphosphate isomer that is not [3H]inositol 1,4-bisphosphate. We conclude that like other tissues the primary event in the hippocampus following carbachol stimulation is the activation of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate selective phospholipase C.     

Autoradiographic Localization of [3H]Zolpidem Binding Sites in the Rat CNS: Comparison with the Distribution of [3H]Flunitrazepam Binding Sites

The regional distribution of [3H]zolpidem, a novel imidazopyridine hypnotic possessing preferential affinity for the BZD1 (benzodiazepine subtype 1) receptor, has been studied autoradiographically in the rat CNS and compared with that of [3H]flunitrazepam. The binding of [3H]zolpidem to rat brain sections was saturable, specific, reversible, and of high affinity (KD = 6.4 nM). It occurred at a single population of sites whose pharmacological characteristics were similar to those of the benzodiazepine receptors labeled with [3H]flunitrazepam. However, ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate and CL 218,872 were more potent displacers of [3H]zolpidem than of [3H]flunitrazepam. The autoradiographic brain distribution of [3H]zolpidem binding sites was qualitatively similar to that previously reported for benzodiazepine receptors. The highest levels of [3H]-zolpidem binding sites occurred in the olfactory bulb (glomerular layer), inferior colliculus, ventral pallidum, nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca, cerebral cortex (layer IV), medial septum, islands of Calleja, subthalamic nucleus, and substantia nigra pars reticulata, whereas the lowest densities were found in parts of the thalamus, pons, and medulla. Comparative quantitative autoradiographic analysis of the binding of [3H]zolpidem and [3H]flunitrazepam [a mixed BZD1/BZD2 (benzodiazepine subtype 2) receptor agonist] in the CNS revealed that the relative density of both 3H-labeled ligands differed in several brain areas. Similar levels of binding for both ligands were found in brain regions enriched in BZD1 receptors, e.g., substantia nigra pars reticulata, inferior colliculus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex lamina IV. The levels of [3H]zolpidem binding were five times lower than those of [3H]flunitrazepam binding in those brain regions enriched in BZD2 receptors, e.g., nucleus accumbens, dentate gyrus, and striatum. Moreover, [3H]zolpidem binding was undetectable in the spinal cord (which contains predominantly BZD2 receptors). Finally, like CL 218,872 and ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate, zolpidem was a more potent displacer of [3H]flunitrazepam binding in brain regions enriched in BZD1 receptors than in brain areas enriched in BZD2 receptors. The present data add further support to the view that zolpidem, although structurally unrelated to the benzodiazepines, binds to the benzodiazepine receptor and possesses selectivity for the BZD1 receptor subtype.     

Presynaptic Nicotinic Cholinergic Receptors Labeled by [3H]Acetylcholine on Catecholamine and Serotonin Axons in Brain

Nicotinic cholinergic receptor binding sites labeled by [3H]acetylcholine were measured in the cerebral cortices, thalami, striata, and hypothalami of rats lesioned by intraventricular injection of either 6-hydroxydopamine or 5, 7-dihydroxytryptamine. In addition, [3H]acetylcholine binding sites were measured in the cerebral cortices of rats lesioned by injection of ibotenic acid into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis. [3H]Acetylcholine binding was significantly decreased in the striata and hypothalami of both 6-hydroxydopamine- and 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine-lesioned rats. There was no change in binding in the cortex or thalamus by either lesion. Ibotenic acid lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis, which projects cholinergic axons to the cortex, did not alter [3H]acetylcholine binding. These results provide evidence for a presynaptic location of nicotinic cholinergic binding sites on catecholamine and serotonin axons in the striatum and hypothalamus.     

Comparison of [3H]Choline and d-[3H]Aspartate Efflux from Guinea Pig and Human Neocortex

The outflow of [3H]choline ([3H]Ch) evoked by electrical field stimulation and the efflux of D-[3H]Asp induced by 35 mM KCl and 1-10 microM ouabain were studied in human and guinea pig cortical slices, kept under identical experimental conditions. [3H]Ch outflow was significantly lower whereas D-[3H]Asp efflux was significantly higher in humans than in guinea pigs. This suggests a different proportion of the two neuronal systems in these two species. Blockade of muscarinic autoreceptors with atropine increased, whereas stimulation of alpha 2 receptors with norepinephrine (NE) reduced, the evoked [3H]Ch outflow to the same extent in human and guinea pig cortical slices. Conversely, NE did not affect ouabain-induced D-[3H]Asp efflux, suggesting that an alpha 2-mediated control is not operative in the glutamatergic cortical structures. Desmethylimipramine, 2-5 microM, was able to increase [3H]Ch outflow through atropine-like mechanisms only in the human. This drug at 20-50 microM inhibited [3H]Ch and D-[3H]Asp efflux in both species, through mechanisms unrelated to its monoamine reuptake blocking properties. Thus, similarities and differences can be detected between humans and guinea pigs with regard to (a) the relative potency of the cholinergic and acidic amino acidergic signals and (b) the modulation of neurotransmitter outflow by drugs acting on auto- and the heteroreceptors.     

Aminergic Receptors in Drosophila melanogaster: Properties of [3H]Dihydroergocryptine Binding Sites

Abstract: [³H]Dihydroergocryptine ([³H]DHE) binds to a particulate preparation from Drosophila melanogaster heads at a level of 2.4 ± 0.4 pmol/mg protein, with an apparent dissociation constant of 2.0 ± 0.5 n M . The binding sites are inactivated by heat, pronase treatment, detergents, and sulfhydryl and disulfide reagents. [³H]DHE binding is inhibited by low concentrations of serotonergic and α-adrenergic ligands. The specificity of the binding sites, as revealed by displacement studies, differs from that of [³H]DHE binding sites in various vertebrate tissues. The [³H]DHE binding sites may correspond to serotonergic receptors, and possibly, to additional classes of receptors for putative neurotransmitters in Drosophila .     

Comparison of Tryptic Peptides of Benzodiazepine Binding Proteins Photolabeled with [3H]Flunitrazepam or [3H]Ro 15–4513

When rat brain membranes were incubated with the benzodiazepine agonist [3H]flunitrazepam or the partial inverse benzodiazepine agonist [3H]Ro 15-4513 in the presence of ultraviolet light one protein (P51) was specifically and irreversibly labeled in cerebellum and at least two proteins (P51 and P55) were labeled in hippocampus. After digestion of the membranes with trypsin, protein P51 was degraded into several peptides. When P51 was photolabeled with [3H]Ro 15-4513, four peptides with apparent molecular weights of 39,000, 29,000, 21,000, and 17,000 were observed. When P51 was labeled with [3H]flunitrazepam, only two peptides with apparent molecular weights of 39,000 and 25,000 were obtained. Protein P55 was only partially degraded by trypsin, and whether it was labeled with [3H]flunitrazepam or [3H]Ro 15-4513 it yielded the same two proteolytic peptides with apparent molecular weights of 42,000 and 45,000. These results support the existence of at least two different benzodiazepine receptor subtypes associated with proteins P51 and P55. The different receptors seem to be differentially protected against treatment with trypsin. In addition, these results indicate that in the benzodiazepine receptor subtype associated with P51 benzodiazepine agonists and partial inverse benzodiazepine agonists irreversibly bind to different parts of the molecule.     

Comparison of the In Vitro Receptor Binding Properties of N-[3H]Methylspiperone and [3H]Raclopride to Rat and Human Brain Membranes

The aim of the present investigation was to study and compare the in vitro binding properties of the two radioligands N-[3H]methylspiperone ([3H]NMSP) and [3H]raclopride. These compounds, labeled with 11C, have been extensively used in positron emission tomography studies on central dopamine D2 receptors in schizophrenic patients, although with diverging results. One study (using [11C]NMSP) showed an increased dopamine receptor density in drug-naive schizophrenic patients, whereas in another study (using [11C]raclopride) the density in schizophrenic patients was no different from that in healthy controls. In the present study, using in vitro binding techniques, the density of the binding sites was found to be similar irrespective of which of the two radioligands was used (20 fmol/mg wet weight in rat striatum and 10 fmol/mg in human putamen; the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2 receptors were blocked with 40 nM ketanserin). [3H]NMSP had a 10-fold higher affinity (KD, 0.3 nM in rat striatum and 0.2 nM in human putamen) than [3H]raclopride (KD, 2.1 nM in rat striatum and 3.9 nM in human putamen), which was consistent with the longer dissociation half-life of [3H]NMSP compared with [3H]raclopride (14.8 and 1.19 min, respectively). There was an approximate overall similarity between the inhibition constants for five dopamine antagonists, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, raclopride, remoxipride, and NMSP, when using either radioligand. The Ki values were, however, two- to four-fold higher when using [3H]NMSP as the radioligand, irrespective of inhibiting compound, except for chlorpromazine (and haloperidol in human putamen). NMSP was found to inhibit the binding of [3H]raclopride competitively, whereas raclopride inhibited the binding of [3H]NMSP both competitively and noncompetitively. This difference suggests that part of the binding site is exclusively used by NMSP and can only be allosterically interfered with by raclopride. It is proposed that [3H]NMSP binds to an additional set of accessory binding sites, presumably located more distantly from the agonist binding active site than the sites to which [3H]raclopride binds.     

[3H] CGP 39653 Binding to the Agonist Site of the N-Methyl- D-Aspartate Receptor Is Modulated by Mg2+ and Polyamines Independently of the Arcaine-Sensitive Polyamine Site

Abstract: This study investigated the binding of [³H] CGP 39653, a novel high-affinity antagonist of the N-methyl-D- aspartate (NMDA) recognition site of the NMDA receptor complex. [³H] CGP 39653 bound to the NMDA receptor in well washed rat brain membranes with an affinity of about 15 nM. Other NMDA site drugs inhibited [³H] CGP 39653 binding with the following order of potency: DL-(tetrazol-5- yl)glycine > glutamate > CGS 19755 > DL-2-amino-5- phosphonovalerate (DL-AP5) > NMDA. Glycine and 5, 7- dichlorokynurenate partially inhibited binding. The poly-amines spermine and spermidine increased [³H] CGP 39653 binding (EC₅₀ values of 10 and 22 μM, respectively). This effect was mimicked by arcaine, 1, 5-diethylaminopiperidine, diaminodecane, diethylenetriamine, and Mg²⁺. The increase in [3H] CGP 39653 was a result of an increased affinity of the binding site for the ligand with very little effect on binding site density. Spermine and Mg²⁺also increased the affinity of the antagonists DL-AP5 and CGS 19755, but had only minor effects on the affinity of glutamate and NMDA. Arcaine did not reverse the enhancement of [3H] CGP 39653 binding by spermine, spermidine, or Mg²⁺. Channel-blocking dissociative anesthetics, including dizocilpine and ketamine, did not alter basal or Mg²⁺-stimulated [3H] CGP 39653 binding. Spermine did not alter either the enhancement of [³H]- dizocilpine by glutamate or the inhibition of [³H]dizocilpine by DL-AP5 or CGS 19755. These studies show that poly-amines and divalent cations selectively enhance the affinity of antagonists for the agonist binding site on the NMDA receptor complex. However, this effect is mediated by a site independent of the primary polyamine site defined using [³H] dizocilpine binding.     

[3H]Spiperone Labels Non-Cyclase-Linked Dopamine Receptors in the Ventral Tegmental Area of Rat Brain

Abstract: The binding of [³H]spiperone, a neuroleptic/dopamine receptor ligand, to membranes of the ventral tegmental area of the rat was studied in vitro and found to be rapid, saturable, reversible, and of high affinity. Specific binding was displaced by the dopaminergic agonists dopamine, apomorphine, and 2-amino-6,7-dihydroxytetralin, and stereospecifically by the neuroleptic drugs butaclamol and flupenthixol. Bromocryptine and other ergots displaced the binding, as did the D-2 antagonists domperidone, molindone, metoclopramide, and sulpiride. Noradrenergic, histaminergic, and serotonergic components of the binding were not detected in displacement studies with various agonists and antagonists. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that [³H]spiperone labels dopamine receptors in the ventral tegmental area that are not linked to adenylate cyclase and are therefore likely to be of the D-2 type.     

Polyamines Modulate the Binding of [3H]MK-801 to the Solubilized N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor

Spermine and spermidine enhance the binding of [³H](+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a, d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine ([³H]MK-801) to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in membranes prepared from rat brain. These polyamines also enhance binding of [³H]MK-801 to NMDA receptors that have been solubilized with deoxycholate. Other polyamines selectively antagonize this effect, a finding indicating that the polyamine recognition site retains pharmacological and structural specificity after solubilization. In the presence of spermidine, an increase in the affinity of the solubilized NMDA receptor for [³H]MK-801 is observed. However, the rates of both association and dissociation of [³H]MK-801 binding to solubilized NMDA receptors are accelerated when assays are carried out in the presence of spermidine. When kinetic data are transformed, pseudo-first-order association and first-order dissociation plots are nonlinear in the presence of spermidine, an observation indicating a complex binding mechanism. Effects of spermidine on solubilized NMDA receptors are similar to effects previously described in studies of membrane-bound receptors. The data indicate that polyamines interact with a specific recognition site that remains associated with other components of the NMDA receptor complex after detergent solubilization.     

[3H]Dopamine Labeling of D3 Dopaminergic Sites in Human, Rat, and Calf Brain

Abstract: The binding of [³H]dopamine to brain regions of calf, rat, and human was investigated. The calf caudate contained the highest density of [³H]dopamine binding sites, with a B_max value of 185 fmol/mg protein, whereas rat and human striatum contained one-third this number of sites. The K_D values for [³H]dopamine in all tissues were 2–3 nM. Dopaminergic catecholamines (dopamine, apomorphine, 6,7-dihydroxy-2-aminotetralin, and N-propylnorapomorphine) inhibited the binding of [³H]dopamine in all three species, at low concentrations, with IC₅₀ values of 1.5 to 6 nM. Neuroleptics, in contrast, inhibited the binding at high concentrations (with IC₅₀ values of 200 to 40,000 nM). The [³H]dopamine binding sites were saturable, heat-labile, and detectable only in dopamine-rich brain regions; these sites differed from D₂ dopamine sites (labeled by [³H]butyrophenone neuroleptics), and from D_l dopamine sites (labeled by [³H]thioxanthene neuroleptics) associated with the dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase. We have, therefore, called these high-affinity [³H]dopamine binding sites D₃ sites. [³H]Apomorphine and [³H]ADTN also appeared to label D₃ sites. These ligands however, were less selective than [³H]dopamine, and labeled sites other than D₃ as well. Assay conditions were important in determining the parameters of [³H]dopamine binding. The optimum conditions for selective labeling of the D₃ dopaminergic sites, using [³H]dopamine, required the presence of EDTA and ascorbate.     

[3H]Aniracetam Binds to Specific Recognition Sites in Brain Membranes

Abstract: [³H]Aniracetam bound to specific and saturable recognition sites in membranes prepared from discrete regions of rat brain. In crude membrane preparation from rat cerebral cortex, specific binding was Na⁺ independent, was still largely detectable at low temperature (4°C), and underwent rapid dissociation. Scatchard analysis of [³H]aniracetam binding revealed a single population of sites with an apparent K_D value of ～70 nM and a maximal density of 3.5 pmol/mg of protein. Specifically bound [³H]aniracetam was not displaced by various metabolites of aniracetam, nor by other pyrrolidinone-containing nootropic drugs such as piracetam or oxiracetam. Subcellular distribution studies showed that a high percentage of specific [³H]aniracetam binding was present in purified synaptosomes or mitochondria, whereas specific binding was low in the myelin fraction. The possibility that at least some [³H]aniracetam binding sites are associated with glutamate receptors is supported by the evidence that specific binding was abolished when membranes were preincubated at 37°C under fast shaking (a procedure that substantially reduced the amount of glutamate trapped in the membranes) and could be restored after addition of either glutamate or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) but not kainate. The action of AMPA was antagonized by DNQX, which also reduced specific [³H]aniracetam binding in unwashed membranes. High levels of [³H]aniracetam binding were detected in hippocampal, cortical, or cerebellar membranes, which contain a high density of excitatory amino acid receptors. Although synaptosomal aniracetam binding sites may well be associated with AMPA-sensitive glutamate receptors, specifically bound [³H]aniracetam could not be displaced by cyclothiazide or GYKI 52466, which act as a positive and negative modulator of AMPA receptors, respectively.