title: Altered muscarinic receptor properties and function in the heart in diabetes.
abstract: The cardiac cholinergic system was studied in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic and age-matched control rats. STZ-diabetic rats (8-10 weeks) were supersensitive to the negative chronotropic effects of acetylcholine, carbamylcholine and bethanechol; inotropic responses to these muscarinic agonists were unaltered. This phenomenon was associated with a decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity but no change in the rate and extent of neuronal choline uptake. [3H]N-methylscopolamine bound to muscarinic receptors in atria from both groups of rats with the same high affinity. The density of [3H]N-methylscopolamine binding sites, however, was 34% lower in atria from STZ-diabetic rats. Agonist binding affinity was lower in diabetes; carbamylcholine had a lower affinity for both the high- and low-affinity receptors. These results indicate that cardiac cholinergic supersensitivity in right atria in diabetes occurs before the development of autonomic neuropathy insofar as neuronal [3H]choline uptake is unaltered at this stage of STZ diabetes. Changes in agonist binding conformation, without a concomitant change in antagonist binding affinity, suggest that supersensitivity of right atria to muscarinic agonist may be a consequence of altered coupling of muscarinic receptor to transduction mechanisms involved in chronotropism in diabetes.
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009116:Muscarine / Q000502:physiology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000378:metabolism*; D013311:Streptozocin
chemical_list: D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D013311:Streptozocin; D009116:Muscarine; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D002794:Choline