We studied the role of purinergic P2X receptors in the body response to cooling. In experiments on rats, P2X receptor antagonist PPADS was administered in different modes, which resulted in changes of different characteristics of the thermoregulatory response to cold. Iontophoresis of P2X antagonist into the skin decreased the thermal thresholds of all thermoregulatory responses to cooling, which can attest to a modulating effect of P2X receptors on peripheral thermosensitive afferents. Intraperitoneal administration of P2X antagonist suppressed thermoregulatory activity of skeletal muscles (shivering) developing during cooling without changing the thresholds of thermoregulatory responses. The findings suggest that ATP and P2X receptors play an important role in the formation of the response to cooling.
Keywords: P2X receptors; PPADS; cold; thermoregulation.