1997 Volume 33 Issue 3 Pages 127-133
Purines of ATP, ADP, AMP and adenosine released from rat caudal artery with and without endothelium and the isolated smooth muscle and endothelial cells were examined, in order to determine the source. Treatment of intact segments of caudal arteries with noradrenaline (10μM) for 3min induced a large release of ATP, ADP, AMP and adenosine.However, if the artery segments had been denuded of their endothelial lining, noradrenaline induced only a slight release of purines. Endothelial cells in primary culture prepared from caudal arteries, when exposed to noradrenaline for 3min released large amounts of purines, whereas vascular smooth muscle cells prepared similarly and passaged endothelial cells did not release purines upon exposure to noradrenaline. These results indicate that, of smooth muscle and endothelial cells of the vascular wall, only intact endothelial cells react to α adrenoceptorstimulation by releasing adenine nucleotides and adenosine.
