Adenosine. A homeostatic metabolite in cardiac energy metabolism.

When blood supply to the heart is compromised, more adenosine is formed by the hypoxic heart in an attempt to restore coronary blood flow. In a recent issue of Circulation, Babbit et all 13 and Gruber et al 14 reported that adenosine can limit vascular injury after prolonged ischemia and, thus, has the potential to salvage myocardium after reperfusion