Brain, Vol. 125, No. 6, 1392-1401,
June 2002
© 2002 Guarantors of Brain
Adenosine A1 receptor agonists inhibit trigeminovascular nociceptive transmission
1 Headache Group, Institute of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, 2 GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK and 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Lund University Hospital, S-221 85 Lund, Sweden 4 Present address: Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick 2034, Australia
Correspondence to: Professor Peter J. Goadsby, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK E-mail: peterg{at}ion.ucl.ac.uk
There is a considerable literature to suggest that adenosine A1 receptor agonists may have anti-nociceptive effects, and we sought to explore the role of adenosine A1 receptors in a model of trigeminovascular nociceptive transmission. Cats were anaesthetized (
-chloralose 60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), and prepared for physiological monitoring. The superior sagittal sinus (SSS) was stimulated electrically, and linked units were recorded in the trigeminocervical complex. Post-stimulus histograms were constructed to analyse the responses and the effect of drug administration. Blood was sampled from the external jugular vein to determine levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release before and after drug administration. Intravenous administration of the highly selective adenosine A1 receptor agonist, GR79236 (3100 µg/kg) had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on SSS-evoked trigeminal activity. The maximal effect (80 ± 6% reduction in probability of firing) was seen at 100 µg/kg. The neuronal inhibitory effect of GR79236 could be inhibited by the selective adenosine A1 receptor antagonist DPCPX (300 µg/kg; P < 0.05). SSS stimulation increased cranial CGRP levels from 33 ± 2 pmol/l (n = 6) to 64 ± 3 pmol/l, an effect substantially reduced by pre-treatment with GR79236 (30 µg/kg; P < 0.01). The selective low efficacy adenosine A1 receptor agonist, GR190178 (301000 µg/kg i.v.), also inhibited SSS-evoked neuronal activity in a dose-dependent fashion. In this model of trigeminovascular nociception, adenosine A1 receptor activation leads to neuronal inhibition without concomitant vasoconstriction, suggesting a novel avenue for the treatment of migraine and cluster headache.
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