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

Rats were administered either amitriptyline (20 mg kg⁻¹, i.p.) or mianserin (10 mg kg⁻¹, i.p.) for 21 consecutive days and the α‐ and β‐adrenoceptor characteristics of cardiac ventricles, cerebral cortex and hippocampus examined by ligand‐binding procedure. Chronic administration of amitriptyline significantly reduced the maximum density of β‐receptors in the cerebral cortex without significantly altering cardiac α‐ or β‐receptors; mianserin treatment had no significant effect on any of the receptors studied. 1985 British Pharmacological Society