Brain benzodiazepine receptors increase after chronic ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate.
Rats were treated with repeated intraventricular injections of ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (beta-CCE) (10 micrograms/rat, twice daily for 8 days), 36 h after the last injection, the total number of 3H-diazepam binding sites was increased in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus by 63, 51 and 38%, respectively. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the dissociation constants (KD) between beta-CCE and solvent treated rats. In contrast, chronic beta-CCE administration failed to change the number of the apparent affinity of 3H-beta-CCE binding sites in all the brain areas examined. The results suggest that beta-CCE is an antagonist at the 3H-diazepam binding sites.
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002243:Carbolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D003975:Diazepam / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
D002243:Carbolines; D007211:Indoles; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; C024915:beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester; D003975:Diazepam