Abstract
The binding of the antagonist IBE 2254 (IBE) to α -adrenergic receptors was characterized on intact DDT smooth muscle cells. IBE binding was rapid, reversible, stable and saturable: Bmax = 113000±13000 recetors/cell, K = 110±13 pM (n = 25). Saturation and competition experiments analysed by non linear curve fitting indicated a single population of binding sites with a pharmacological profile typical for α-adrenergic receptors. Antagonists competed for IBE binding sites in the following order: prazosin > phentolamine = phenoxybenzamine > yohimbine. The rank order for agonists was clonidine > epinephrine > norepinephrine > phenylephrine. There was a significant correlation between IBE binding to intact cells, DDT1 membranes and rat cortex membranes. Neither agonists nor antagonists showed noticeable changes in their affinity for IBE binding on either system. There was also a good correlation between IBE binding and breakdown of phosphoinositides (PI) measured in intact cells.