Effects of chronic administration of amitriptyline or mianserin on rat cardiac and central adrenoceptors

Abstract

1 Rats were administered either amitriptyline (20mg kg-, i.p.) or mianserin (10mg kg-', i.p.) for 21 consecutive days and the a-and P-adrenoceptor characteristics of cardiac ventricles, cerebral cortex and hippocampus examined by ligand-binding procedure.2 Chronic administration of amitriptyline significantly reduced the maximum density of P-receptors in the cerebral cortex without significantly altering cardiac a-or P-receptors; mianserin treatment had no significant effect on any of the receptors studied.