Characterization of calcium antagonist receptors in highly purified porcine cardiac sarcolemma.

Drug receptors for the Ca-antagonists nitrendipine and (-)desmethoxyverapamil (D-888) were studied in porcine cardiac sarcolemma. The dihydropyridine (DHP) derivative [3H]nitrendipine binds to a single population of high affinity sites (KD = 0.44 +/- 0.10 nM, Bmax = 2.43 +/- 0.19 pmol/mg; (n = 8), whereas the phenylalkylamine derivative 3HD-888 interacts with high and low affinity sites of KD = 5.1 +/- 1.4 nM and KD = 438 +/- 86 nM (n = 6) in the same membrane preparations. The antagonists tested differ also with respect to their pharmacological efficacy on cultured intact heart myocytes. The EC50 value of the negative chronotropic effect exerted by D-888 corresponds to its high affinity binding component. Nitrendipine exhibit a 200-fold lower pharmacological efficacy, as would be expected from binding data.