The effects of adenosine and 2'-deoxycoformycin on sleep and wakefulness in rats.

The effects of adenosine (12.5 nmol/rat, i.c.v.) and 2'-deoxycoformycin (2.0 mumol/kg, i.p.) on sleep and wakefulness were examined in rats. Adenosine significantly decreased wakefulness and increased both deep slow-wave sleep and total sleep. 2'-Deoxycoformycin, a potent inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, was administered at a dose which did not produce significant sedative and hypnotic effects, when given alone (although a 4-fold greater dose of this drug has been shown to be hypnogenic in rats) in order to examine the possible potentiation of exogenously administered adenosine. No such potentiation was observed, since treatment with both drugs produced effects qualitatively similar, although not statistically significant, to those of adenosine alone. These data clearly indicate that adenosine is a hypnogenic substance in rats and suggest that these effects may involve adenosinergic receptor-mediated modulation of the activity of central adenylate cyclase.