Peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites on striated muscles of the rat: Properties and effect of denervation

In order to test the hypothesis that peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites mediate some direct effects of benzodiazepines on striated muscles, the properties of specific 3H-Ro 5-4864 binding to rat biceps and rat diaphragm homogenates were investigated. In both tissues a single population of sites was found with a KD value of 3 nmol/l. The density of these sites in both muscles was higher than the density in rat brain, but was considerably lower than in rat kidney. Competition experiments indicate a substrate specificity of specific 3H-Ro 5-4864 binding similar to the properties already demonstrated for the specific binding of this ligand to peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites in many…