Markers of adenosine removal in normotensive and hypertensive rat nervous tissue

Abstract

Adenosine mechanisms are altered in brain stem nuclei associated with cardiovascular control in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Therefore, in the present study we used a number of techniques to compare the binding of the adenosine transport inhibitor [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine ([3H]NBMPR) as well as adenosine deaminase immunoreactivity (ADA-IR) in brain stems and nodose ganglia of SHR and age-matched normotensive Donryu rats (DRY). Saturation binding revealed a single class of [3H]NBMPR binding sites in the dorsal brain stem of both strains, with K(d) and B(max) values of 65±9 pmol/L and 282±31 fmol/mg protein, respectively, in SHR and 129±2 pmol/L and 217±23 fmol/mg protein in DRY. T..