Mepacrine treatment prevents immobilization-induced desensitization of beta-adrenergic receptors in rat hypothalamus and brain stem.

Forced immobilization is a severe stress in rats which diminishes levels of epinephrine in specific nuclei in the hypothalamus and brain stem, suggesting that release of epinephrine is stimulated to a rate which exceeds the rate of its replacement. In the pineal gland, frog erythrocytes, C6 astrocytoma cells and rat brain, beta-adrenoceptor agonists appear to regulate the number of their receptors. Exposure to high concentrations of an agonist leads to apparent decrease in receptors reflected by a decrease in maximal specific binding of antagonists. The apparent decreases in receptors have been shown to be attended by decreases in physiologic responsiveness. In C6 astrocytoma cells, beta-agonists stimulate methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine to increase formation of membrane phosphatidylcholine which in turn appears to enhance activation of adenyl cyclase. Interference with the metabolism of phospholipids by exposure to phospholipase A2 inhibitor, mepacrine (quinacrine), prevents agonist-induced desensitization of beta-adrenoceptors in astrocytoma cells. In the present study repeated immobilization stress has been found to decrease significantly the number of beta-adrenoceptors in hypothalamus and brain stem while increasing the number of alpha 2-adrenoceptors. The desensitization of beta-adrenoceptors was prevented by treatment with mepacrine.