Modulation of myocardial alpha 1- but not beta-adrenoceptors after 90-day tail-suspension

We have previously demonstrated that prolonged simulated microgravity (tail-suspension) leads to cardiac alterations with increased resting heart rate, myocardial degradation changes and attenuated myocardial contractility. The present study investigated the potential role of adrenoceptor mechanisms underlying them. Changes of myocardial alpha 1-adrenoceptor (alpha 1-AR) and beta 1-adrenoceptor (beta-AR) in 90-day tail-suspended rats was investigated by the method of radioligand binding assay and application of Scatchard's method. The results showed significantly decreased quantity of specific binding of 125I-BE2-beta-(4-hydroxy-3-125I]indophenyl)-ethylaminomethyltetralone] to alpha 1-AR present in membrane derived from ventricular myocardium of the suspended animals, despite the affinity of the alpha 1-AR to 125I-Be was unchanged. But neither the quantity nor the affinity of beta-AR binding to 125I-Pindolol was significantly altered. In addition, the spontaneously beating rate of isolated right atria from tail-suspended animals showed little change in sensitivity and reactivity to the stimulations of graded phenylephrine (alpha-agonist, measured in the presence of beta-antagonist propranolol) and isoproterenol (beta-agonist), compared with the control rats. There were also no obvious differences of the effects of the isoproterenol on the contractility of isolated left ventricular papillary muscles between the two groups. Since myocardial alpha 1-AR mediated-effects include production of cardiac hypertrophy and enhancement of myocardial glucose uptake and glycolysis, the down-regulation of the alpha 1-AR may be a contributor to the cardiac cellular accumulation and the myocardial degradation changes as found in our tail-suspended rats. The data from this study also suggest that the myocardial beta-adrenoceptors are not affected by the prolonged tail-suspension.