Abstract
The possibility that cholecystokinin in the striatum may be involved in hypertension was investigated using in vitro receptor autoradiography. The binding density of super(125)I-Bolton Hunter labeled cholecystokinin octapeptide ( super(125)I-BH-CCK8) was determined using computer-assisted densitometry in the striatum of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and its control the Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY). A significant increase in super(125)I-BH-CCK8 binding density was found in the lateral part of the caudate-putamen of the SHR. In contrast, a significant decrease in super(125)I-BH-CCK8 binding density was found in the posteromedial nucleus accumbens of the SHR. These results indicate that CCK8 receptor density is altered in the striatum of the SHR and suggest a role for CCK8 receptors in the pathophysiology of hypertension.