Role of central adenosine in the respiratory and thermoregulatory responses to hypoxia

No reports are available about the role of central adenosine in the respira tory and thermoregulatory responses to hypoxia in conscious rats. We theref ore measured ventilation (V-E) and body temperature (Tb) before and after i ntracerebroventricular injection of saline or aminophylline (adenosine anta gonist), followed by a 30-min period of hypoxia exposure. Aminophylline did not change V-E or Tb during normoxia; however, during hypoxia, it caused a significant increase in V-E, and significantly attenuated hypoxic hypother mia. The present data indicate that central adenosine has an inhibitory eff ect on hypoxic hyperventilation and partially causes hypoxic hypothermia, s uggesting that the ventilatory and metabolic interaction during hypoxia doe s not involve opposing mechanisms. NeuroReport 11:193-197 (C) 2000 Lippinco tt Williams & Wilkins.