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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Expert Opin Drug Discov. 2011 Jul;6(7):713–724. doi: 10.1517/17460441.2011.575777

Figure 3. Adenosine is bioenergetic feedback regulator.

Figure 3

The biochemistry of adenosine, being a building block of both 5′-adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) as well as of nucleic acids allows it to act as bioenergetic feedback regulator. When energy levels drop (e.g. due to excessive energy consumption during a seizure) ATP levels drop and adenosine – a degradation product of ATP – rises. Increased levels of adenosine provide inhibition to a wide range of metabolic activities in a biochemical strategy to conserve energy.