Melatonin reverses pinealectomy-induced decrease of benzodiazepine binding in rat cerebral cortex
Pinealectomy of rats resulted in significant depression of benzodiazepine receptors (assessed by [3H]flunitrazepam binding) in cerebral cortex 3-14 days after surgery without affecting their affinity significantly. A single s.c. injection of melatonin (800 μg/kg body wt) restored the depressed brain...
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | JOUR |
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_01970186_v7_n4_p675_Lowenstein |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | Pinealectomy of rats resulted in significant depression of benzodiazepine receptors (assessed by [3H]flunitrazepam binding) in cerebral cortex 3-14 days after surgery without affecting their affinity significantly. A single s.c. injection of melatonin (800 μg/kg body wt) restored the depressed brain benzodiazepine receptor sites. Single melatonin injections (up to 1600 μg/kg) to intact rats did not affect brain benzodiazepine binding when injected at either morning or evening hours. Daily melatonin treatment to intact rats for 5 days augmented benzodiazepine receptor density in brain (morning injections) or its dissociation constant (evening injections). Melatonin added in vitro to rat cerebral cortex membranes only slightly depressed [3H]flunitrazepam binding at 100 μM concentrations. These results point out a link between pineal activity and benzodiazepine receptor function in rats. They also indicate that pharmacological doses of melatonin affect benzodiazepine binding sites in rat cerebral cortex. © 1985. |
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