A1 and A2A adenosine receptors and A1 mRNA in mouse brain: effect of long-term caffeine treatment

The effect of oral treatment with caffeine, in doses that are known to produce marked adaptive effects, was investigated on A₁ and A_2A receptors in the mouse brain. Caffeine (0.1, 0.3 or 1 g/l) was added to the drinking water and the animals were sacrificed after a 14-day treatment period. Ligand binding to A₁ receptors was studied, using quantitative autoradiography, with the agonist [³H]cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) and the antagonist [³H]1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentyl xanthine (DPCPX). Caffeine did not remain in the sections during the autoradiography experiments. Caffeine treatment (1 g/l, but not 0.1 or 0.3 g/l) tended to increase [³H]CHA binding to the CA3 subfield of the hippocampus, but in no other region studied. There was no change in the number of A₁ receptors since [³H]DPCPX binding to the CA3, cerebral and cerebellar cortex was not influenced by caffeine treatment. There was similarly no change in the ability of CHA to displace [³H]DPCPX binding, suggesting that there are no major changes in the proportion of A₁ receptors that are coupled to G-proteins. mRNA for the A₁ receptor, measured by in situ hybridization, did not differ significantly between caffeine-treated and control mice in the structures examined. Thus, higher doses of caffeine can cause an increase in A₁ agonist binding without a corresponding change in A₁ mRNA or in A₁ antagonist binding, suggesting that the adaptive changes seen upon prolonged caffeine treatment may be in sites different from A₁ receptors. Caffeine (1 g/l) increased A_2A receptors in the striatum measured as binding of the agonist [³H]CGS 21680 suggesting that up-regulation of A_2A receptors may be an adaptive effect of caffeine intake.