Binding of radiolabeled opiates to slide-mounted sections of molded minced rat brain: a novel method for conducting radioreceptor assays.

To facilitate the quantitative study of the opiate receptor, we have developed a novel variation of the ligand binding technique. The binding of 3H-opiates to rat brain membranes is compared with the binding to slide-mounted sections of molded minced rat brain. The latter method is characterized by a high signal and a superior signal-to-noise ratio over a wide range of ligand concentrations. The results are discussed in reference to other ligand binding methodologies.