Opiate binding to subcellular fractions from guinea pig ileum

Binding of 3H-etorphine and 3H-D-Ala2-D-Leu5-enkephalin to opiate receptors in synaptosomal and microsomal fractions prepared from guinea pig ileum homogenates has been studied. It is found that the dissociation constants for etorphine from all fractions are the same. The binding capacity for etorphine for the purified synaptosomal fraction is greater than for other fractions by a factor of 5. For the enkephalin derivative binding to the microsomal fraction the dissociation constant is greater than for etorphine while the binding capacity is a factor of 3 lower. These results are in contrast to the case for binding to central nervous system subcellular fractions.