Antagonism by theophylline of the adenosine receptor agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine at the guinea pig ileum.

The inhibitory effect of the putative adenosine A2 receptor agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) on acetylcholine release from the stimulated guinea pig ileum preparation and the nature of its antagonism by theophylline were investigated. NECA was shown to inhibit the response of the ileum preparation in a dose-dependent fashion, and an EC50 value of 1.62 X 10(-8) M was determined. This value was comparable with that determined for the A1 receptor agonist N6-R-phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA) (2.57 X 10(-8) M) using the same preparation. Competitive antagonism of the inhibitory effect of NECA by theophylline was quantitated and a pA2 value of 5.04 for the methylxanthine was obtained. This value was similar to those obtained previously for R-PIA and adenosine itself and suggests that these nucleosides may be interacting with the same receptor site on myenteric nerve endings. These findings do not permit the designation of the receptor as an A1 or A2 subtype according to current criteria.