Adenosine-induced dilatation of rat aorta was present in aorta taken from 4 week-old rats, attenuated with increase in age of rats to 8 weeks, and was virtually absent in the aorta from 12 week-old rats. 2. Removal of the endothelium by mechanical rubbing attenuated adenosine-induced dilatation. 3. Haemoglobin and methylene blue partly reversed the adenosine-induced endothelium-dependent dilatation. 4. The order of potency of adenosine derivatives was 5'-(N-ethylcarboxamido)adenosine (NECA) greater than 2-phenylaminoadenosine (CV-1808) greater than 2-chloroadenosine greater than N6-([R]-[-]-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA) greater than adenosine greater than N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) greater than N6-([S]-[+]-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (S-PIA), indicating that adenosine receptors mediating the dilatation are of the A2 subtype. 5. [3H]-NECA bound to preparations of membranes from rats of 4 weeks old; it was displaced more effectively by NECA and the A2 ligand CV-1808 than by the A1 ligands CHA and S-PIA. ligands CHA and S-PIA. 6. The number but not affinity of specific binding sites for NECA decreased considerably with increase in age of rats to 8 weeks, and binding sites for [3H]-NECA were hardly detected in membrane preparations from rats of 20 weeks old. 7. Adenosine caused a marked increase in cyclic GMP production, but did not induce an increase in the cyclic AMP level. 8. This increase in cyclic GMP production induced by adenosine was abolished by methylene blue or 8-phenyltheophylline, or by removal of the endothelium. 9. The age-associated decrease in adenosine-induced dilatation was found to be associated with a reduction in the formation of cyclic GMP, but not of cyclic AMP. 10. These results suggest that adenosine causes dilatation via A2 receptors by inducing production of an endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), which in turn stimulates soluble guanylate cyclase, and so increases production of cyclic GMP. It is also suggested that the main reason for the age-associated decrease in adenosine-induced dilatation is a decrease in the number of A2-receptors or the ability of the endothelium to produce EDRF, leading to decreased production of cyclic GMP.
