Prolonged administration in vivo of alpha and beta adrenergic agonists decreases insulin binding to rat myocardial membranes in vitro by different mechanisms

Abstract

Male Sprague Dawley rats were continuously treated in vivo for 6, 12 and 20 hours with a combination of an alpha- (beta-) adrenoreceptor agonist and a beta- (alpha-) adrenoreceptor antagonist in subcutaneously implanted depot tablets. Crude membranes prepared from myocardial cells exhibited a decreased maximum binding of [ 125I]-insulin after 20 hours irrespective of the treatment applied. Scatchard and non-linear regression analysis of the displacement curves assuming two non-cooperative binding sites revealed a downregulation of the high affinity receptors for about 85% and a concomitant 2.5-fold increased receptor affinity under beta-adrenergic influence. In contrast, alpha-adrenergic treatment did not affect the receptor number but decreased the high affinity by 70%. The low affinity binding sites were virtually unaffected by the different treatments. The phospholipid and cholesterol contents of the membranes were not significantly altered. The phospholipid/cholesterol ratios after 12 and 20 hours of alpha-adrenergic treatment, however, were decreased. We suggest that the decreased binding activity of insulin receptors on rat myocardial membranes after continuous in vivo treatment with alpha- and beta- adrenergic agonists is mediated by different mechanisms.