Alpha adrenoreceptor mediated alteration of ethanol effects on (Na+ + K+)-ATPase of rat neuronal membranes.

Noradrenaline (NA) sensitizes rat brain (Na+ + K+)-ATPase to inhibition by ethanol (EtOH). This effect of NA increases with the degree of enrichment of the enzyme: 0.1 mM NA + 0.05 M EtOH produced 27% inhibition in whole brain homogenates, 40% in 2.5-fold purified P2 fractions, and 45% in 5-fold purified microsomal fractions. The sensitization by NA was prevented by 0.1 microM phentolamine but not by 100 microM propranolol. Adrenaline and phenylephrine also sensitized the enzyme to EtOH inhibition in all of the fractions but isoproterenol did not. For all three alpha agonists the degree of sensitization was concentration dependent and the degree of reversal of this effect varied with the concentration of phentolamine added. These findings suggest that the NA + EtOH interaction is a direct effect on the membrane, probably mediated by an alpha receptor modified perturbation of the membrane microenvironment of the enzyme.