Potential antiarrhythmic and cardioprotective agents based on adenosine

Adenosine is an endogenous ligand which is involved in a large number of physiological processes. Intravenous treatment of animals with adenoisine, which is quickly metabolised, has the effect of temporarily lowering the heart-rate. Several highly potent compounds more resistent to metabolic degradation were synthesised. The second part of the project involved synthesis of compounds which were hopefully selective for the A3 adenoisine receptor which has the most limited tissue distribution within the body and is thought to be involved in a number of pathological processes including asthma.