Abstract
The influence of osmotic stimulation on the density of β-adrenoceptor binding sites in the rat supraoptic nucleus (SON) was studied by quantitative autoradiography using 125I-cyanopindolol (ICYP). Increased density of β-adrenoceptor binding sites was observed in osmotically stimulated rats and also after the suppression of neuronal activation by rehydration of animals. This was mainly due to a significant increase in the concentration of β2 binding sites. The overexpression of β-adrenoceptors occurred concomitantly with nuclear expansion in SON astrocytes. Moreover, the higher concentration of β-adrenoceptors observed in the ventral portion of the SON largely coincided with the area that showed intense GFAP-immunostaining. These results provide indirect evidence of an astrocytic location of β-adrenoceptors and also of β-adrenergic mediation in the structural and functional changes of SON astrocytes.
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