A binding site for [3H]glipizide in the rat cerebral cortex.

[3H]glipizide, a 2nd generation hypoglycemic sulfonylurea, binds specifically to rat cerebral cortex membranes in a time- and temperature-dependent way. The binding is saturable and reversible. The maximal binding capacity is 110 fmol/mg protein and the dissociation constant 1.5 nM. The binding site was destroyed by proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes suggesting a lipoprotein nature. Active analogs of sulfonylureas are characterized by IC50 values in the cerebral cortex which parallel their insulinotropic activity. In the cerebral cortex, adenylate cyclase was not stimulated by glipizide but sulfonylureas could inhibit, at high doses, the cAMP-dependent phosphodiesterase. This central binding site for glipizide displays the characteristics of the recognition moiety of a biological receptor.