Uptake and O-methylation of isoprenaline in the rabbit ear artery

Factors which influence uptake on O-methylation of 3H-isoprenaline (3HISO) by isolated segments of the rabbit ear artery were investigated. The tendency of the artery to accumulate unchanged amine was enhanced either when the O-methylation of ISO approached saturation at a high substrate concentration (6 mumol 1(-1) ISO), or when O-methylation was inhibited. Under these conditions, deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) partially inhibited the accumulation of ISO. DOCA exerted a stronger inhibitory effect on O-methylation, but only at low ISO concentrations (0.2 and 0.8 mumol 1(-1)). The results are interpreted as evidence that (a)O-methylation in the intact artery is a saturable process which serves to limit the accumulation of 3HISO when the bathing concentration of the amine is low, and (b) DOCA exerts its effects by inhibiting extraneuronal uptake into the compartment possessing O-methylating activity. Analysis of the kinetics of efflux of 3HISO suggested that O-methylation was restricted to only one compartment, whereas unchanged ISO was accumulated within at least two compartments in addition to the extracellular compartment. Attention is drawn to a small but significant inhibitory effect of chronic sympathetic denervation on the accumulation, although not the O-methylation of ISO, raising the possibility that there may also be distribution of 3HISO within the sympathetic nerves.