This review summarizes the ionic mechanisms and receptor-effector coupling systems underlying the inhibitory electrophysiological effects of adenosine on cardiac myocytes.
Adenosine, an endogenous nucleoside, modulates heart functions via cell membrane receptors. This review focuses on the A1 adenosine receptor-mediated electrophysiological effects on cardiac myocytes. Activation of A1 adenosine receptors leads to reductions of heart rate, atrioventricular nodal conduction, and atrial contractile force, and to an attenuation of the effects of β-adrenergic stimulation on myocardium. The ionic mechanisms and the receptor-effector coupling systems that underly the inhibitory effects of adenosine are discussed. Drug Dev. Res. 45:420–426, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Srinivas et al. (Sun,) studied this question.