Adenosine A(2A) agonist and A(2B) antagonist mediate an inhibition of inflammation-induced contractile disturbance of a rat gastrointestinal preparation.

Adenosine can show anti-inflammatory as well as pro-inflammatory activities. The contribution of the specific adenosine receptor subtypes in various cells, tissues and organs is complex. In this study, we examined the effect of the adenosine A(2A) receptor agonist CGS 21680 and the A(2B)R antagonist PSB-1115 on acute inflammation induced experimentally by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) on rat ileum/jejunum preparations. Pre-incubation of the ileum/jejunum segments with TNBS for 30 min resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of acetylcholine (ACh)-induced contractions. Pharmacological activation of the A(2A)R with CGS 21680 (0.1-10 microM) pre-incubated simultaneously with TNBS (10 mM) prevented concentration-dependently the TNBS-induced inhibition of the ACh contractions. Stimulation of A(2B)R with the selective agonist BAY 60-6583 (10 microM) did neither result in an increase nor in a further decrease of ACh-induced contractions compared to the TNBS-induced inhibition. The simultaneous pre-incubation of the ileum/jejunum segments with TNBS (10 mM) and the selective A(2B)R antagonist PSB-1115 (100 microM) inhibited the contraction-decreasing effect of TNBS. The effects of the A(2A)R agonist and the A(2B)R antagonist were in the same range as the effect induced by 1 microM methotrexate. The combination of the A(2A)R agonist CGS 21680 and the A(2B)R antagonist PSB-1115 at subthreshold concentrations of both agents found a significant amelioration of the TNBS-diminished contractility. Our results demonstrate that the activation of A(2A) receptors or the blockade of the A(2B) receptors can prevent the inflammation-induced disturbance of the ACh-induced contraction in TNBS pre-treated small intestinal preparations. The combination of both may be useful for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.