The uptake and O-methylation of 3H-(+/-)-isoprenaline in rat cerebral cortex slices

The O-methylation and accumulation of 3H-isoprenaline in slices of the rat cerebral cortex were studied before and after inhibition of COMT. 1. Inhibition of COMT by 30 mumol/l U-0521 virtually abolished the O-methylation and increased the accumulation of 3H-isoprenaline; hence, there is evidence for the existence of a central O-methylating system (with a transport mechanism and intracellular COMT). 2. Experiments were carried out with selective uptake inhibitors for uptake1 (cocaine and desipramine) or uptake2 (corticosterone and OMI), with phenoxybenzamine (known to inhibit both carriers) and with changes in the ionic composition of the incubation medium. They revealed that the central carrier differed from both, uptake1 and uptake2, although exhibiting some resemblance with uptake2 (lack of dependence on Na+ and Cl-, sensitivity to K+ and phenoxybenzamine, ability to transport 3H-isoprenaline). 3. Although the central carrier was rather sensitive to inhibition by beta-adrenoceptor antagonists (propranolol, carteolol), the effect of propranolol was not stereoselective; hence, beta-adrenoceptors do not seem to be involved. 4. Virtually identical IC30-values were obtained for inhibitors, when determined with or without inhibition of COMT. Only OMI was found to inhibit COMT as well as the central transport system; hence it was more potent in inhibiting the O-methylation than the accumulation of 3H-isoprenaline. 5. IC50-values (against initial rates of accumulation of 3H-isoprenaline; COMT inhibited) were determined for various substrates and inhibitors of peripheral uptake2. There was no correlation with the IC50-values determined earlier for uptake2 in rat heart (Grohmann and Trendelenburg 1984).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)