Chronic steroid contraceptive treatment decreases renal a-adrenoceptor levels in the rat

Female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected s.c. with ethynyloestradiol (EE2, 0.2 microgram/day) and levonorgestrel (NG, 2.0 micrograms/day) separately and in combination (EE2/NG). Binding of [3H]rauwolscine (alpha 2-adrenoceptor specific) and [3H]prazosin (alpha 1-adrenoceptor specific) was examined in crude membrane suspensions prepared from whole rat kidney after 3, 6 and 12 weeks of steroid administration. Receptor affinity was high for both ligands (KD, equilibrium dissociation constant [3H]rauwolscine, congruent to 2.0 nM; [3H]prazosin, congruent to 0.2 nM) and was not altered in rats chronically treated with steroid contraceptives. The Bmax (maximum density of binding sites) for [3H]prazosin binding was not altered, indicating no change in the number of renal alpha 1-adrenoceptors. NG administered alone did not affect the numbers of alpha 1- or alpha 2-adrenoceptors. Catechol metabolites of endogenous oestrogens did not displace the binding of either radioligand, suggesting that these metabolites do not directly interact with renal alpha-adrenoceptors. However, after 12 weeks treatment, the number of [3H]rauwolscine binding sites was reduced in both EE2 (Bmax, 133 +/- 7 fmol/mg protein)- and combined EE2/NG (135 +/- 11 fmol/mg protein)-treated rats, compared to controls (162 +/- 9 fmol/mg protein). Since renal alpha 2-adrenoceptors inhibit renin release, this reduction in alpha 2-adrenoceptor number may contribute to increased renin levels associated with oestrogen-induced hypertension.