Binding characteristics of hypothalamic mu opioid receptors throughout the estrous cycle in the rat.

This study presents a detailed analysis of the binding characteristics of hypothalamic mu opioid receptors during the different phases of the estrous cycle of the female rat. Different groups of adult female rats with a regular 4-day estrous cycle were killed by decapitation at 10.00 h of diestrus days 1 and 2, at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00 and 20.00 h of the day of proestrus and at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00 and 18.00 h of the day of estrus. At sacrifice, the hypothalami of the animals were dissected out, plasma membrane preparations were obtained and the binding characteristics (Bmax, Kd) of the specific mu opioid ligand dihydromorphine (DHM) on mu opioid receptors were evaluated. Blood has been collected from the trunk vessels to monitor with specific radioimmunoassays serum levels of LH, estradiol and progesterone. The data obtained indicate that in the hypothalamus of female rats with a regular 4-day estrous cycle, the binding characteristics of DHM for mu receptors show important variations during the different phases of the estrous cycle. In general, the number of mu opioid receptors is elevated during the morning of diestrus day 2 and during the day of proestrus being maximal at 14.00 h and declining significantly at 18.00 and 20.00 h of the same day. At estrus, the number of mu receptors appears high at 10.00 and 16.00 h and low at 12.00, 14.00 and 18.00 h. All these variations take place without any significant change of the affinity (Kd) of DHM for the mu receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)