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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Anesthesiology. 2009 Oct;111(4):904–915. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e3181b060f2

Figure 5. Intracellular Adenosine Metabolism.

Figure 5

Following adenosine uptake via equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs), intracellular adenosine is rapidly metabolized. Two competing pathways exist. Intracellular adenosine can be metabolized to inosine by the adenosine deaminase. Alternatively, adenosine is phosphorylated by the adenosine kinase to 5’-adenosine monophosphate (AMP).