Effects of isomers of apomorphines on dopamine receptors in striatal and limbic tissue of rat brain.

The optical isomers of apomorphine (APO) and N-propylnorapomorphine (NPA) were interacted with three biochemical indices of dopamine (DA) receptors in extrapyramidal and limbic preparations of rat brain tissue. There were consistent isomeric preferences for the R(-) configuration of both DA analogs in stimulating adenylate cyclase (D-1 sites) and in competing for high affinity binding of 3H-spiroperidol (D-2 sites) and of 3H-ADTN (DA agonist binding sites) in striatal tissue, with lesser isomeric differences in the limbic tissue. The S(+) apomorphines did not inhibit stimulation of adenylate cyclase by DA. The tendency for greater activity or higher apparent affinity of R(-) apomorphines in striatum may reflect the evidently greater abundance of receptor sites in that region. There were only small regional differences in interactions of the apomorphine isomers with all three receptor sites, except for a strong preference of (-)NPA for striatal D-2 sites. These results do not parallel our recent observations indicating potent and selective antidopaminergic actions of S(+) apomorphines in the rat limbic system. They suggest caution in assuming close parallels between current biochemical and functional, especially behavioral, methods of evaluating dopamine receptors of mammalian brain.