ATP, beta-gamma-methylene-ATP, and adenosine inhibit non-cholinergic non-adrenergic transmission in rat urinary bladder.

ATP and adenosine caused a dose-dependent and reversible inhibition of the atropine-resistant contraction response to transmural nerve stimulation in the rat urinary bladder. Both purines also inhibited contraction responses to acetylcholine and direct muscle stimulation, indicating a postjunctional effect on the transmission. It seems as ATP per se inhibits the excitatory transmission, because the stable ATP-analogue beta-gamma-methylene-ATP was inhibitory as well, and because exogenous adenosine deaminase annulled the inhibition by adenosine but not that by ATP or beta-gamma-methylene-ATP. Blockade of purine inactivation enhanced the inhibitory action of ATP and adenosine, and by itself inhibited the transmission. These results are consistent with the possibility that endogenous purines may modulate non-cholinergic non-adrenergic excitatory transmission in the rat urinary bladder.