The role of adenosine in the central actions of the benzodiazepines

Stress and adenosine: II. Adenosine analogs mimic the effect of inescapable shock on shuttle-escape performance in rats.

“…Adenosine analogs are reputed to have anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant actions (e.g., Phillis & O'Regan, 1988). A potent sedative action of these drugs could disrupt test escape performance in an uninteresting way-the similarity between stress-induced and drug-induced deficits could be an artifact of potent sedation after analog administration and an inability to perform the motor escape response.…”

Stress and adenosine: II. Adenosine analogs mimic the effect of inescapable shock on shuttle-escape performance in rats.

“…Adenosine analogs are reputed to have anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant actions (e.g., Phillis & O'Regan, 1988). A potent sedative action of these drugs could disrupt test escape performance in an uninteresting way-the similarity between stress-induced and drug-induced deficits could be an artifact of potent sedation after analog administration and an inability to perform the motor escape response.…”

Exogenous adenosine potentiates hypnosis induced by intravenous anaesthetics

“…Benzodiazepines may potentiate the effects of adenosine by inhibiting adenosine re‐uptake and the depressant effects of these compounds may be the direct effect of an increase in extracellular adenosine levels [14, 15]. Therefore, adenosine uptake inhibition may play an important role in central actions of benzodiazepines [7, 16]. It was also shown that concurrent injections of adenosine and diazepam, at doses which had no significant effect on locomotor activity when given alone, acted synergistically to produce a marked depression of locomotor activity [17].…”

Anticonvulsant Activities of 4–Bromobenzaldehyde Semicarbazone

“…Because many of the actions of benzodiazepines (BDZ), including anticonvulsant effects, are mediated by the GABAA receptor in the CNS (Martin, 1987), we studied the effects of compound IV on adenosine uptake in rat brain synaptosomes and on binding of [3H]flunitrazepam to membrane fractions prepared from rat brain. Adenosine is considered to be involved in the central actions of BDZ (Phillis and O'Regan, 1988); therefore, anticonvulsants that bind at BDZ receptors inhibit the action of adenosine. Although compound IV had a slight inhibitory effect on radiolabeled adenosine uptake, it did not displace [3H]flunitrazepam from its receptor sites.…”

Stress and adenosine: II. Adenosine analogs mimic the effect of inescapable shock on shuttle-escape performance in rats.

“…Adenosine analogs are reputed to have anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant actions (e.g., Phillis & O'Regan, 1988). A potent sedative action of these drugs could disrupt test escape performance in an uninteresting way-the similarity between stress-induced and drug-induced deficits could be an artifact of potent sedation after analog administration and an inability to perform the motor escape response.…”

Exogenous adenosine potentiates hypnosis induced by intravenous anaesthetics

“…Benzodiazepines may potentiate the effects of adenosine by inhibiting adenosine re‐uptake and the depressant effects of these compounds may be the direct effect of an increase in extracellular adenosine levels [14, 15]. Therefore, adenosine uptake inhibition may play an important role in central actions of benzodiazepines [7, 16]. It was also shown that concurrent injections of adenosine and diazepam, at doses which had no significant effect on locomotor activity when given alone, acted synergistically to produce a marked depression of locomotor activity [17].…”

Anticonvulsant Activities of 4–Bromobenzaldehyde Semicarbazone

“…Because many of the actions of benzodiazepines (BDZ), including anticonvulsant effects, are mediated by the GABAA receptor in the CNS (Martin, 1987), we studied the effects of compound IV on adenosine uptake in rat brain synaptosomes and on binding of [3H]flunitrazepam to membrane fractions prepared from rat brain. Adenosine is considered to be involved in the central actions of BDZ (Phillis and O'Regan, 1988); therefore, anticonvulsants that bind at BDZ receptors inhibit the action of adenosine. Although compound IV had a slight inhibitory effect on radiolabeled adenosine uptake, it did not displace [3H]flunitrazepam from its receptor sites.…”

Stress and adenosine: II. Adenosine analogs mimic the effect of inescapable shock on shuttle-escape performance in rats.

“…Adenosine analogs are reputed to have anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant actions (e.g., Phillis & O'Regan, 1988). A potent sedative action of these drugs could disrupt test escape performance in an uninteresting way-the similarity between stress-induced and drug-induced deficits could be an artifact of potent sedation after analog administration and an inability to perform the motor escape response.…”

Exogenous adenosine potentiates hypnosis induced by intravenous anaesthetics

“…Benzodiazepines may potentiate the effects of adenosine by inhibiting adenosine re‐uptake and the depressant effects of these compounds may be the direct effect of an increase in extracellular adenosine levels [14, 15]. Therefore, adenosine uptake inhibition may play an important role in central actions of benzodiazepines [7, 16]. It was also shown that concurrent injections of adenosine and diazepam, at doses which had no significant effect on locomotor activity when given alone, acted synergistically to produce a marked depression of locomotor activity [17].…”

Anticonvulsant Activities of 4–Bromobenzaldehyde Semicarbazone

“…Because many of the actions of benzodiazepines (BDZ), including anticonvulsant effects, are mediated by the GABAA receptor in the CNS (Martin, 1987), we studied the effects of compound IV on adenosine uptake in rat brain synaptosomes and on binding of [3H]flunitrazepam to membrane fractions prepared from rat brain. Adenosine is considered to be involved in the central actions of BDZ (Phillis and O'Regan, 1988); therefore, anticonvulsants that bind at BDZ receptors inhibit the action of adenosine. Although compound IV had a slight inhibitory effect on radiolabeled adenosine uptake, it did not displace [3H]flunitrazepam from its receptor sites.…”