SEROTONIN RECEPTORS. I. EXTRACTION AND ASSAY OF A SUBSTANCE WHICH RENDERS SEROTONIN FAT-SOLUBLE

Abstract

A substance was extracted from stomach, colon, brain, spinal cord, and certain other animal tissues by the action of cold fat solvents. This substance has the property of making serotonin soluble in a fat solvent (benzene-butanol) in the presence of Ca ++. A method of assay for the substance was developed which depends on the extraction of serotonin into benzene-butanol from aqueous solution in the presence of the substance, decomposing the extracted complex, and measuring the amount of serotonin liberated. Some indications exist that the substance may be the non-enzymatic portion of the serotonin receptors of smooth muscle and nerve.