Purine Metabolism in Cultured Coronary Endothelial Cells

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Abstract
Although it is well known that endothelial cells are involved in several biological processes such as transport1, hemostasis2, synthesis of collagen3, histamine4 and prostaglandins5, our knowledge concerning intermediary metabolism of the endothelium is rather limited. In the course of studies on interrelationships between heart function and cardiac metabolism6,7 we became interested in some features of purine metabolism of coronary endothelial cells. Our interest was initiated by the assumption that these cells might contribute to the production of vasoactive adenosine which is considered to play an important role in the metabolic regulation of coronary blood flow8,9. The studies — not possible of course to be performed under in vivo conditions — were carried out on cultured endothelial cells isolated from coronary vessels of guinea pig hearts as recently described10.