Activation of neuronal adenosine A1 receptors suppresses secretory reflexes in the guinea pig colon.

The role of adenosine A1 receptors (A1R) in reflex-evoked short-circuit current ( I sc) indicative of chloride secretion was studied in the guinea pig colon. The A1R antagonist 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT) enhanced reflex-evoked I sc. Adenosine deaminase and the nucleoside transport inhibitor S-(4-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine enhanced and reduced reflex-induced I sc, respectively. The A1R agonist 2-chloro- N 6-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA) inhibited reflex-evoked I sc at nanomolar concentrations, and its action was antagonized by CPT. In the presence of either N-acetyl-5-hydroxytryptophyl-5-hydroxytryptophan amide to block the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-mediated pathway or piroxicam to block the prostaglandin-mediated pathway, CCPA reduced the residual reflex-evoked I sc. CCPA reduced the response to a 5-HT pulse without affecting the tetrodotoxin-insensitive I sc responses to carbachol or forskolin. Immunoreactivity for A1R was detected in the membrane (10% of neurons) and cytoplasm (90% of neurons) of neural protein gene product 9.5-immunoreactive (or S-100-negative) submucosal neurons, in glia, and in the muscularis mucosa. A1R immunoreactivity in a majority of neurons remained elevated in the cytoplasm despite preincubation with adenosine deaminase or CPT. A1R immunoreactivity colocalized in synaptophysin-immunoreactive presynaptic varicose nerve terminals. The results indicate that endogenous adenosine binding to high-affinity A1R on submucosal neurons acts as a physiological brake to suppress reflex-evoked I scindicative of chloride secretion.