title: Multiple effects of reserpine on chromaffin-granule in membranes.
abstract: The tranquilizer reserpine has several effects on adrenal medullary chromaffin-granule membrane vesicles (ghosts). At low concentrations (0.20 +/0 0.12 nmol/mg of membrane protein), reserpine inhibits proton-linked epinephrine uptake but does not affect transmembrane pH and electrical potential gradients. Reserpine apparently binds to and blocks the catecholamine translocator. At intermediate concentrations (14.3 +/- 4.8 nmol/mg of membrane protein), reserpine abolishes the ATP-dependent enhancement of 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate fluorescence without affecting the ATP-dependent membrane potential. At high concentrations (550 +/- 390 nmol/mg of membrane protein), reserpine stimulates the efflux of epinephrine from preloaded chromaffin-granule ghosts. Because it is highly hydrophobic, reserpine partitions into the membrane and probably exerts a nonspecific detergent-like action. At high concentrations (74 +/- 25 nmol/mg of lipid), reserpine also increases the permeability of phospholipid vesicles to epinephrine. The effectiveness of reserpine in inhibiting epinephrine transport correlates with the reserpine/membrane ratio but not with the molar concentration. This may account for the larger variation in reports of effective reserpine concentrations.
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D002417:Cattle; D002837:Chromaffin Granules / Q000187:drug effects*; D002838:Chromaffin System / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D010539:Permeability; D012110:Reserpine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D012110:Reserpine; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D004837:Epinephrine