title: Alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors in rat cerebral cortex: effects of neonatal treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine.
abstract: Neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine treatment was used to destroy the noradrenergic nerve terminals in rat cerebral cortex and thus give some insight into the in vivo regulation of alpha-adrenoceptor subtypes, which in turn provides information concerning the anatomical localization of alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors. Treatment of rats in the neonatal period with 6-OHDA causes an irreversible decrease in noradrenaline levels of the cerebral cortex compared to controls. Differences in [3H]clonidine and [3H]prazosin binding in the cerebral cortex occurred which varied depending upon the time elapsed between denervation and the binding assay. In rats aged 7-14 days there was a 20% decrease in the number of alpha 2-adrenoceptors and a slight increase in alpha 1-adrenoceptors. In older rats (45-50 day old) both types of alpha adrenoceptors were increased. Results of this study indicate that alpha 2-adrenoceptors located on presynaptic noradrenergic terminals represent only a small proportion of the total alpha 2-adrenoceptors in rat cerebral cortex. Increases in the binding capacity after 67-OHDA treatment indicate an up-regulation phenomenon affecting alpha 1-adrenoceptors and alpha 2-adrenoceptors located on structures other than noradrenergic nerve endings.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006892:Hydroxydopamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008566:Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D009411:Nerve Endings / Q000187:drug effects; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic / Q000378:metabolism*; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D003000:Clonidine; D009638:Norepinephrine