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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Oct 12.
Published in final edited form as: J Nat Sci. 2016;2(10):e222.

Figure 1. Role of ADORA2b activation in IR-injury and IP mediated cardioprotection.

Figure 1

CD73 generates extracellular adenosine via phosphohydrolysis of AMP. Adenosine can then bind to the ADORA2b and activate it. During ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury, activation of the ADORA2b on polymorph nuclear leukocytes (PMNs) attenuates myocardial infarct sizes by reducing TNF levels (A). During ischemic preconditioning (IP) of the heart, activation of the ADORA2b on cardiomyocytes or endothelial cells confers cardioprotection (B). IP-cardioprotection is mediated through a downstream protein known as Period 2 (PER2) via cAMP. PER2 stabilization allows the oxygen deprived myocardium to switch its metabolism to a more oxygen-efficient metabolism thereby decreasing infarct sizes during ischemia (C). Alternative cardiac PER2 stabilization can be achieved by exposure of mice to intense light which also leads to reduced infarct sizes in a murine model for myocardial ischemia (D).