Effects of D- and L- enantiomers of adenosine, AMP and ADP and their 2-chloro- and 2-azido- analogues on human platelets.

Aggregation of human platelets by ADP and the inhibition of this effect by adenosine are apparently mediated by different receptors. One of the criteria for receptors is that they show stereospecificity for their ligands. We have synthesized L-enantiomers of D-adenosine, AMP and ADP, together with their corresponding photolysable 2-azido analogues so that platelet receptors could be tested for stereospecificity. All of the L-enantiomers were completely inactive as aggregators or inhibitors of platelet function. None of the L-enantiomers changed levels of platelet cAMP. 2-Azido-L-adenosine, AMP and ADP are proposed as useful controls in photoaffinity experiments for non-specific labelling.