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Adenosine receptors mediate both contractile and relaxant effects of adenosine in main pulmonary artery of guinea pigs

In guinea pig main pulmonary artery precontracted with noradrenaline, adenosine exerted an initial phasic contraction followed by a tonic contraction and a slow relaxation. After selective blockade by 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX: 10 nM) of A1 receptors, adenosine only elicited a rapid relaxation. This initial response was characterized by use of adenosine (AR) and its analogues N6-cyclopentyl-adenosine (CPA), R-N6-phenyllsopropyladeno-sine (R-PIA), 2-chloroadenosine (CADO), 5′-N-ethyl-carboxamidoadenosine(NECA), N6-2-(4-aminophenyl) ethyl adenosine (APNEA) and 2-p-((carboxyethyl)phenethylamino)-5′-carboxamidoadenosine (CGS 21 680). The order of potency of the adenosine analogues for purine-induced phasic contraction was CPA > R-PIA > NECA = APNEA > AR > CGS 21 680 suggesting the involvement of activation of A1 type adenosine receptors in the contraction phase. DPCPX antagonized the CPA-induced contraction with a pA2 = 9.27 ± 0.26, but the Schild plot slope parameter was significantly lower than unity (0.58 ± 0.09). In contrast, in electrically driven guinea pig atrial myocardium (a tissue reported to possess A1 receptors), the DPCPX-CPA antagonism was purely competitive (pA2 = 8.95 ± 0.06; slope = 0.93 ± 0.06). In the presence of 300 nM DPCPX, the rank order of potency for the purine-induced fast relaxation was NECA > CADO = AR > CGS 21 680 = R-PIA > CPA. The NECA- and adenosine-induced relaxation was influenced neither by 300 nM CP 66 713 (an antagonist at A2a receptors), nor by endothelial removal and inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (100 μM NG-nitro-L-arginine: L-NOARG). The adenosine-induced relaxation was antagonized by 8-phenyltheophylline (8-PT), a potent A1/A2 antagonist. However, the rapid relaxation elicited by adenosine in the presence of 8-PT, was reversed and contraction developed. It is concluded that adenosine causes contraction via dual action on A1 adenosine receptors and on xanthine-resistant sites. Our experiments with APNEA (a prototypic A3 receptor agonist) did not support the suggestion that A3 receptors are implicated in the xanthine-resistant component of adenosine-induced contraction, as DPCPX (300 nM) completely abolished and even reversed the APNEA-induced contraction. In addition, cromolyn (a mast cell stabilizing agent) did not influence the xanthine-resistant contraction induced by adenosine in the presence of DPCPX, 8-PT and dipyridamole (an adenosine uptake inhibitor). On the basis of the rank order of agonist potency, the receptors involved in the adenosine-induced rapid relaxation most likely is of the A2b subtype. The opposing action of the xanthine-resistant contraction, however, did not allow a definitive pharmacological characterization of the receptor mediating relaxation.

Xanthine Derivatives in the Heart: Blessed or Cursed?

Methylxanthines, such as theophylline, have been used to treat cardiorespiratory disorders, whereas caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive agent in various soft drinks. Because of the worldwide use of these drugs and the recently synthesized xanthine derivatives, an intensive research on the cardiac actions of these substances is under progress. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms involved in the actions of xanthine derivatives with special reference to their adenosine receptor antagonistic properties. The main basic and human studies on the action of xanthines on impulse initiation and conduction, as well as the electrophysiological and mechanical activity of the working myocardium will be overviewed. The potential beneficial and harmful actions of the methylxanthines will be discussed in light of the recent experimental and clinical findings. The pharmacological features and clinical observations with adenosine receptor subtype-specific xanthine antagonists are also the subject of this paper. Based on the adenosine receptor-antagonistic activity of these compounds, it can be raised that xanthine derivatives might inhibit the cardioprotective action of endogenous adenosine on various subtypes (A(1), A(2A), A(2B) and A(3)) of adenosine receptors. Adenosine is an important endogenous substance with crucial role in the regulation of cardiac function under physiological and pathological conditions (preconditioning, postconditioning, ischemia/reperfusion injury). Recent clinical studies show that acute administration of caffeine or theophylline can inhibit various types of preconditioning in human subjects. There are no human studies, however, for the cardiovascular actions of long-term administration of these drugs. Upregulation of adenosine receptors and increased effectiveness of adenosine receptor-related cardiovascular functions have been observed after long-lasting treatment with methylxanthines. In addition, there are data indicating that blood adenosine level increases after long-term caffeine administration. Since the salutary actions (and also the adverse reactions) of a number of xanthine derivatives are repeatedly shown, the main goal is the development of novel structures that mimic the actions of the conventional methylxanthines as lead compounds, but their adenosine receptor subtype-specificity is higher, their water solubility is optimal, and the unwanted reactions are minimized.

Histamine and H1 -histamine receptors faster venous circulation.

The study has analysed the action of histamine in the rabbit venous system and evaluated its potential role in contraction during increased venous pressure. We have found that a great variety exists in histamine sensitivity and H1‐histamine receptor expression in various types of rabbit veins. Veins of the extremities (saphenous vein, femoral vein, axillary vein) and abdomen (common iliac vein, inferior vena cava) responded to histamine by a prominent, concentration‐dependent force generation, whereas great thoracic veins (subclavian vein, superior vena cavas, intrathoracic part of inferior vena cava) and a pelvic vein (external iliac vein) exhibited slight sensitivity to exogenous histamine. The lack of reactivity to histamine was not due to increased activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) or heme oxygenase‐1. H1‐histamine receptor expression of veins correlated well with the histamine‐induced contractions. Voltage‐dependent calcium channels mediated mainly the histamine‐induced force generation of saphenous vein, whereas it did not act in the inferior vena cava. In contrast, the receptor‐operated channels were not involved in this response in either vein. Tyrosine phosphorylation occurred markedly in response to histamine in the saphenous vein, but not in the inferior vena cava. Histamine induced a prominent ρ kinase activation in both vessels. Protein kinase C and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) were not implicated in the histamine‐induced intracellular calcium sensitization. Importantly, transient clamping of the femoral vein in animals caused a short‐term constriction, which was inhibited by H1‐histamine receptor antagonist in vivo. Furthermore, a significantly greater histamine immunopositivity was detected in veins after stretching compared to the resting state. We conclude that histamine receptor density adapts to the actual requirements of the circulation, and histamine liberated by the venous wall during increased venous pressure contributes to the contraction of vessels, providing a force for the venous return.

Sensitization by chronic diazepam treatment of A2A adenosine receptor-mediated relaxation in rat pulmonary artery

The effects of a 10-day i.p. treatment of rats with diazepam on responses to subtype selective adenosine receptor agonists were studied 3 h, 2 and 8 days after termination of diazepam treatment in isolated cardiovascular tissues possessing distinct adenosine receptors. After long-lasting diazepam exposure, the relaxation elicited by the specific A2A receptor agonist CGS 21680 was enhanced in rat main pulmonary arteries (a tissue containing A2A adenosine receptors). The increased sensitivity of A2A receptors observed 3 h and 2 days after withdrawal of diazepam was completely restored by the 8th day of the wash-out period. N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA)-induced suppression in mechanical activity of electrically stimulated rat atrial myocardium (a tissue containing A1 adenosine receptors) was not altered following diazepam treatment. In order to reveal the possible role of inhibition of membrane adenosine transport in the effects of diazepam (a moderate inhibitor of membrane adenosine transport), the action of a 10-day treatment with dipyridamole or S-(p-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine (NBTI; prototypic adenosine uptake inhibitors) was also studied. Dipyridamole or NBTI treatment, like diazepam, increased the responsiveness of rat pulmonary artery to CGS 21680, but did not influence the cardiodepressive effect of CPA in electrically driven left atrial myocardium. The CGS 21680-induced relaxations were significantly antagonized by 10 nM ZM 241385 (a selective A2A adenosine receptor antagonist) in vessels of diazepam-treated rats. The relaxation responses to verapamil were unaltered in pulmonary arteries obtained from animals chronically treated with diazepam, dipyridamole or NBTI. These results suggest that chronic diazepam treatment is able to enhance the A2A adenosine receptor-mediated vascular functions, but does not modify the responses mediated via A1 receptors of rat myocardium, where nucleoside transport inhibitory sites of membrane are of a very low density. It is possible that sensitization of A2A adenosine receptor-mediated vasorelaxation is due to a long-lasting inhibition of membrane adenosine transporter during diazepam treatment.