Adenosine in cerebral homeostatic role: appraisal through actions of homocysteine, colchicine, and dipyridamole.

Mammalian neocortical tissues were incubated in [14C]adenine-containing fluids and their newly-synthesized adenine derivatives examined after periods of superfusion. Increased [K+] released adenine derivatives from the tissues, a release diminished by homocysteine. Homocysteine acted also to diminish the tissue content of adenosine plus its metabolites hypoxanthine and inosine, while increasing that of S-adenosylhomocysteine. Hypoxia also increased the tissue content and the output of adenosine plus its metabolites, and again homocysteine augmented the S-adenosylhomocysteine. Glutamic acid also increased tissue content and output of adenosine and derivatives, an action diminished by homocysteine and associated with augmented S-adenosylhomocysteine. Colchicine or dipyridamole did not prevent augmentation of S-adenosylhomocysteine by the reagents described; the sequence from adenosine phosphates to S-adenosylhomocysteine is concluded to be intracellular and not to involve extracellular formation of precursor adenosine. Adenosine displayed properties consistent with its being involved in two distinct categories of homeostasis, and also with its exerting an inhibitory tone in normal cerebral systems.