Interaction of catecholamines and ethanol on the kinetics of rat brain (Na+ + K+)-ATPase

The effects of catecholamines (CA) and ethanol (EtOH), singly and in combination, on the kinetics of rat brain (Na+ + K+)-ATPase were studied. Addition of 0.05 M EtOH alone did not change Vmax or Km for K+, Na+, Mg2+ and ATP. Addition of 0.1 mM dopamine (DA) or noradrenaline (NA) alone stimulated the enzyme activity in presence of vanadium-containing ATP as substrate, but not with vanadium-free ATP except in the presence of high Mg2+ : ATP ratios. CA alone decreased the Km slightly for K+ and by about 50% for ATP, increased it for Mg2+ and did not change it for Na+. However, the combination of DA or NA + EtOH produced a marked inhibition which was competitive for K+, and uncompetitive or mixed for Mg2+, Na+ and ATP. The inhibitory effect of NA + EtOH was abolished in 20 mM K+. These findings suggest that NA sensitizes the enzyme to EtOH inhibition at physiological K+ concentrations, by conformational change away from the outwardly facing K+-binding E2P for to the inwardly facing Na+-binding E1P form.