AdenosineA2A Receptor Density

The effects of chronic caffeine intake are generally attributed to the antagonism of A2AR. Consequently, Pandolfo et al. [51] compared the density of A2AR in striatal and frontocortical terminals from SHR or WKY rats treated with caffeine or saline. The number of animals analyzed was four in the WKY control group, three in the WKY caffeine-treated group, four in the SHR control group, and four in the SHR caffeine-treated group. Statistical analysis indicated a significant effect of the interaction between strain and treatment on A2AR density both in the striatum and in the frontal cortex. Notably, fronto-cortical nerve terminals in the SHRs displayed more colocalization between A2AR and synaptophysin immunoreactivities than in the WKY rats. This provided the first direct demonstration of the presence of A2AR in fronto-cortical nerve terminals, and the first indication that A2AR density is improved in SHRs.
