Comparison of the sodium dependency of uptake of meta-lodobenzylguanidine and norepinephrine into cultured bovine adrenomedullary cells.

Radioiodinated meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), a scintigraphic agent used for the detection of human pheochromocytomas, is thought to utilize the same uptake and retention mechanism(s) as norepinephrine (NE). Using cultured bovine adrenomedullary cells, we compared the mechanism(s) of uptake of MIBG to that of NE. Two different uptake systems were identified. NE and MIBG were taken up by a sodium-dependent system that was characterized by: 1) temperature dependency; 2) high affinity: Km of 1.22 +/- 0.12 microM for MIBG and 1.41 +/- 0.50 microM for NE; 3) low capacity: Vm (picomoles/10(6) cells/10 min) of 64.3 +/- 3.3 for MIBG and 36.6 +/- 7.2 for NE; 4) saturability; 5) ouabain sensitivity; and 6) energy dependency. However, NE and MIBG also were taken up by a temperature-dependent, sodium-independent, apparently unsaturable, and energy-independent system. The sodium-dependent uptake system fulfills many of the criteria for Uptake1 whereas the sodium-independent uptake system is most likely a passive diffusion process. NE uptake proceeded predominantly by the sodium-dependent process. Uptake of MIBG occurred by both pathways at low concentrations, but at high concentrations (greater than 10 microM) uptake was predominantly (75 to 100%) by the sodium-independent process. Inhibition studies suggest that MIBG and NE are transported by the same carrier involved in the sodium-dependent system. Scintiscans of the human adrenals and pheochromocytomas appear to reflect uptake of [131I]MIBG by the sodium-dependent system.