(p38 MAPK), and protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation in the case of A1, A2A, A2B, and ERK 1/2 phosphorylation in the case of A3 receptors. Ado, through the activation of A3 and A2B receptors, stimulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion in a HIF-1 –dependent way. Furthermore, ado, through the A2B subtype, induces an increase of Interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion in a ERK 1/2, p3...

According to the Gα subunit amino acid sequence homology, G proteins divide into four families that can couple to different GPCRs. To investigate the combination of interaction between G proteins (Gs, Gi/Go, q11 and 12/13) and A2A, D2R, or A2A/D2 respectively, Föster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays, with the advantage to analyze protei...

Cardiac fibroblasts (CF) express adenosine (ADO) receptors, and pharmacological evidence suggests the possible involvement of the A2 (A2a and A2b) receptor (A2aR and A2bR) subtypes in inhibiting cell functions involved in fibrosis. The main objective of this study was to define the contributions of A2a and/or A2b receptors in modulating ADO-induced decreases in CF functions. For this purpose, C...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system manifested by cognitive and memory deterioration, a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms, behavioral disturbances, and progressive impairment of daily life activities. Current pharmacotherapies are restricted to symptomatic interventions but do not prevent progressive neuronal degeneration. Therefore, new the...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the human brain, leading to depletion of dopamine production. Dopamine replacement therapy remains the mainstay for attenuation of PD symptoms. Nonetheless, the potential benefit of current pharmacotherapies is mostly limited by adverse side effects, such...

The specific targeting of tumor-elicited immunosuppression is a promising strategy for the treatment of cancer. We have recently demonstrated that targeting the immunosuppressive pathway mediated by CD73-derived adenosine through the blockade of A2A/A2B adenosine receptors significantly reduced the metastatic potential of CD73+ breast carcinomas and melanomas via both immunological and non-immu...

The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of exogenous and endogenous (cardiac fibroblast-derived) adenosine on [3H]proline and [3H]leucine incorporation, which are reliable markers of collagen and total protein synthesis, respectively, in rat left ventricular cardiac fibroblasts. Growth-arrested confluent cardiac fibroblast monolayers were stimulated with 2.5% fetal calf seru...

BACKGROUND Glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter, is involved in learning and memory processes but at higher concentration results excitotoxic causing degeneration and neuronal death. Adenosine is a nucleoside that exhibit neuroprotective effects by modulating of glutamate release. Hypoxic and related oxidative conditions, in which adenosine and metabotropic glutamate receptors are in...

Caffeine is an antagonist at A1 and A2A adenosine receptors and epidemiological evidence suggests that caffeine consumption reduces the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Neuroinflammation plays a role in the etiology of these diseases and caffeine may provide protection through the modulation of inflammation. Adenosine has a known role in the propagation of inflammation and caffeine...