Characterization of the adenosine receptor mediating contraction in rat colonic muscularis mucosae.

1. The objective of this study was to characterize the adenosine receptor mediating contraction in rat isolated colonic muscularis mucosae (RCMM). 2. Sequential additions of the adenosine receptor agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA; 0.01-10 microM) elicited reproducible, concentration-related contractions in RCMM. The effects of NECA were mimicked by the adenosine A1 receptor-selective agonists cyclopentyladenosine (CPA), R-phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA) and N-[1S, trans)2-hydroxycyclopentyl] adenosine (GR79236) and by S-PIA (the stereoisomer of R-PIA). The adenosine A2 agonists N-[(2-methylphenyl)methyl] adenosine (metrifudil) and 2-[p-(2-carboxyethyl)phenethylamine]-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (CGS21680) also produced contractions in RCMM but were 54 and 165 times less potent respectively than NECA. The rank order of agonist potency for contraction of RCMM was CPA > or = GR79236 = R-PIA > or = NECA > > S-PIA = metrifudil > CGS21680, which is identical to that reported for the inhibition of spontaneous rate in rat isolated right atria and inhibition of lipolysis in rat isolated adipocytes by these same agonists. 3. R-PIA, S-PIA and metrifudil behaved as partial agonists in RCMM. 4. The adenosine A1 receptor-selective antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3- dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) inhibited the contractions produced by all the adenosine agonists tested, with pKB values between 9.2 and 9.5. The non-selective adenosine antagonist 8-phenyltheophylline (8-PT) antagonized the effects of NECA but also markedly potentiated (by 93.0 +/- 10.2% at 3 microM) the maximum contractile response to NECA in RCMM. Neither 8-PT (3 microM) nor DPCPX (0.1 microM) had any effect on the contractions produced by carbachol. 5. The contractile responses to NECA in RCMM were not affected by atropine (1 microM), tetrodotoxin(0.3 microM) or the P2 antagonist, suramin (100 microM).6. The present study confirms that contractions to adenosine agonists in the RCMM are mediated via adenosine Al receptors.