Ex vivo muscarinic receptor binding of oxybutynin and propiverine, the most commonly used anticholinergic agents for the treatment in patients with urinary incontinence, was investigated in rat tissues. The oral administration of oxybutynin (50.8 and 127 μmol/kg) caused a significant increase in the apparent dissociation constant (K_d) for specific (−)-[³H]QNB binding in the rat bladder, prostate, submaxillary gland, heart and cerebral cortex, compared with each of the control values. Also, in the submaxillary gland of these rats, there was a reduction in the maximal number of binding sites (B_max) for (−)-[³H]QNB binding. Similarly, oral administration of propiverine at doses of 74.3-297 μmol/kg brought about a significant increase in the K_d values for (−)-[³H]QNB binding in rat tissues including the bladder, and greater increase in K_d values was seen in the rat prostate, heart and submaxillary gland. On the other hand, oral administration of propiverine, unlike oxybutynin, resulted in very little reduction in the B_max valules for (−)-[³H]QNB binding in the submaxillary gland. In conclusion, the present study has shown that oxybutynin and propiverine, after oral administration, bind significantly to muscarinic receptors in tissues such as the bladder, which is the target organ for the treatment of urinary incontinence, and that oxybutynin appears to exhibit long-term binding to muscarinic receptors in the salivary gland.