title: Different distributions of opioid receptors in spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar-Kyoto rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the densities of opioid receptors in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with those of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats in central nervous system which are related to the regulation of BP.
  
  
  METHODS
  [3H] Etorphine, a nonspecific opioid ligand, was used to determine the distributions of opioid receptors in 16-wk-old SHR and WKY rats by quantitative autoradiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The densities of [3H]etorphine in hippocampus (P < 0.01), periaqueductal gray, nucleus of the solitary tract, and thoracic (T4-6) spinal cord (P < 0.05) of SHR were lower than those of WKY rats. But in basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (P < 0.01), habenular nuclei (P < 0.05), and hypothalamic nuclei including arcuate nucleus (P < 0.01), higher densities of opioid receptors were found in SHR. No difference existed in interpeduncular nuclei between the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference in distributions of opioid receptors is related to the hypertension in SHR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Shanghai Medical University, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D005048:Etorphine / Q000378:metabolism; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000378:metabolism*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D005048:Etorphine