The Trophic Effects of Purines and Purinergic Signaling in Pathologic Reactions of Astrocytes

This article reviews the effects of extracellular purine bases, nucleosides, and nucleotides as intracellular signaling molecules with trophic effects on cells after insults to the brain and spinal cord. Astrocytes are the principal source of extracellular purines in brain after injury, ischemia, or trauma. In vitro and in vivo extracellular purines have both immediate and long-term trophic effects, including stimulation of astrocyte and …