Diabetes-induced alterations in the properties of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in rat vas deferens.

Muscarinic cholinergic receptors were identified and characterized by radioligand receptor binding assay using [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) in rat vas deferens membrane particulates of three experimental groups: 1) 8-week diabetic, 2) 8-week diabetic insulin-treated and 3) age-matched control. Diabetes was induced by the intravenous injection of 65 mg./kg. streptozotocin (STZ). The density of muscarinic receptors (Bmax values), as determined by saturation experiments with [3H]QNB, was demonstrated to be higher in the vas deferens of diabetic rats than in the vas deferens of control and diabetic insulin-treated rats. The equilibrium dissociation constants (KD values), however, were similar in all three groups. Muscarinic cholinergic antagonists competed with [3H]QNB binding sites in the vas deferens membrane particulates with the following rank order of Ki values: atropine < methoctramine < or = 4-DAMP < AF-DX 116 < HHSiD < pirenzepine = pfHHSiD. The pharmacological profile of muscarinic receptors was similar in all three groups. Additional pharmacological studies showed a similar rank order of Ki values for vas deferens, bladder dome and heart, but this rank order was significantly different in cerebral cortex and prostate. This is consistent with the predominance of the M2 muscarinic cholinergic receptor subtype in the rat vas deferens. It is concluded that STZ-induced diabetes causes an upregulation of muscarinic cholinergic receptor density in the rat vas deferens that can be prevented by the administration of insulin.