Effect of chronic nicotine treatment against repeated immobilization stress.

Alpha 2 and beta adrenoceptors, and muscarinic cholinoceptors in 2 brain regions (cerebral cortex and hippocampus) were measured in rats which received either tap water or nicotine added to the drinking water (5-8 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, and immobilization stress (daily 2 hr) for the last 5 days. The repeated stress induced a reduction in the maximum number of binding sites (Bmax) for (3H)dihydroalprenolol (DHA) in the cerebral cortex of rats with tap water, without affecting (3H)clonidine binding. Nicotine-treatment also caused a decrease in the Bmax of cortical (3H)DHA binding comparable to the case of stress, and increased the (3H)clonidine binding. However, the combination of nicotine- and stress-treatments failed to induce further no changes in the 2 radioligands binding. The binding of (3H)quinuclidinyl benzilate in the cerebral cortex and of the 3 radioligands in the hippocampus was unaltered by nicotine- and/or stress-treatments. These results indicate that long-term administration of nicotine induces down-regulation of cortical beta adrenoceptors and seemingly attenuates the receptor alteration by repeated stress.