Abstract

A comparison has been made between [3H]pirenzepine binding to the M1 receptor population of rat cerebral cortex and [3H]N-methylscopolamine binding to M2 receptors in rat cardiac membranes. Several standard muscarinic antagonists including trihexyphenidyl HCl, benztropine, biperidin and 4-DAMP (4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methyl piperidine methiodide) showed some selectivity for the M1 binding assay. Dicyclomine and hexahydrosiladifenidol were the only antagonists with a selectivity approaching that of pirenzepine. Gallamine and AFDX-116 were the only M2 (cardiac) selective antagonists. Muscarinic agonists displayed profiles which could be classified into two groups, apparently related to their intrinsic activity. One group displayed apparent selectivity for the heart, with low Hill coefficients and contained full agonists such as acetylcholine. The second group displayed less selectivity, intermediate Hill coefficients and contained partial agonists such as pilocarpine. Thus muscarinic agents can distinguish between different tissues not only on the basis of receptor selectivity, but also by recognition of high and low agonist affinity states. Thus the intrinsic activity of a muscarinic agonist may reflect an apparent but not true receptor-mediated selectivity.