The cardiac anti-adrenergic effect of adenosine

Adenosine has an anti-adrenergic action in the heart and appears to serve as negative-feedback modulator of beta-adrenoceptor-mediated myocardial contractile and metabolic responses. This action of adenosine has been assessed in various heart preparations by the application of exogenous adenosine, the determination of tissue and coronary venous effluent levels of adenosine and the degradation of endogenous adenosine by adenosine deaminase. The evidence suggests that the anti-adrenergic function of adenosine has vital physiological and clinical implications in the normoxic, hypoxic and ischemic myocardium.