title: Interaction of amiloride with alpha-adrenoreceptors: evidence from radioligand binding studies.
abstract: We investigated the effect of amiloride on alpha-adrenoreceptors (alpha 1 and alpha 2) using radioligand binding techniques. Amiloride inhibited [3H]yohimbine and [3H]prazosin binding to alpha 2- and alpha 1-adrenoreceptors, respectively, from various tissues in a concentration-dependent manner. Amiloride was approximately 9-12 times more potent in inhibiting [3H]yohimbine binding to alpha 2-adrenoreceptors from rat tissues than from other mammalian tissues. However, it had almost the same potency in inhibiting [3H]prazosin binding to alpha 1-adrenoreceptors from rat as well as other mammalian tissues. Further, in rat tissues, amiloride was approximately 10 times more potent in inhibiting [3H]yohimbine than [3H]prazosin binding. Amiloride inhibited [3H]yohimbine binding noncompetitively and [3H]prazosin binding competitively. The inhibition of [3H]yohimbine and [3H]prazosin binding by amiloride was reversible. Since amiloride has been shown to be an inhibitor of Na+-H+ exchanger protein, we believe that it regulates the alpha 2-adrenoreceptors by binding to Na+ -H+ exchanger protein. Triamterene, a compound similar to amiloride in regard to diuretic effect, had very little effect on [3H]yohimbine and [3H]prazosin binding to rat kidney membranes, suggesting that the alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonistic properties of amiloride are not related to its antikaliuretic effect. The results of the present study suggest that some of the pharmacological actions of amiloride (antihypertensive and diuretic effects) can be explained in part by its regulatory effect on both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoreceptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Ohio, Toledo 43699.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Periyasamy
mesh_terms: D000584:Amiloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011224:Prazosin / Q000378:metabolism; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D014223:Triamterene / Q000494:pharmacology; D015016:Yohimbine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D015016:Yohimbine; D000584:Amiloride; D014223:Triamterene; D011224:Prazosin