Patterns of Adrenoceptor Change During Liver Regeneration of the Wistar Kyoto Rat: A Binding Study

Background ceptors have been involved in the regulation of hepatocyte proliferation after partial hepatectomy, as well as in primary culture. This report characterizes α1- and β-adrenoceptor change during the time-course of liver regeneration in adult Wistar Kyoto rats. s tion binding assays with [3H]prazosin or [3H]dihydroalprenolol (for α1- and β-adrenoceptors, respectively) were done in liver plasma membranes from 6-month-old rats subjected to 70% hepatectomy followed by hepatic regeneration. s azosin and [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding gave control Bmax values of 101 ± 10 and 12 ± 1 fmol/mg protein and Kd of 0.50 ± 0.10 and 4.1 ± 0.4 nM for α1- and β-adrenoceptors, respectively. α1-Adrenoceptor number and Kd increased at 24 and 48 h and returned to control values at 72 and 96 h after surgery, whereas β-adrenoceptors augmented at 48 and 72 h, with a Kd change at 24 and 48 h posthepatectomy. sions results suggest that dual control of α1- and β-adrenoceptor membrane expression could be involved in different steps during hepatocyte proliferation, and that Wistar Kyoto rats have a different adrenoceptor pattern expression from other rat strains.