Adenosine and acetylcholine exert negative chronotropic and anti-adrenergic effects on nonischemic myocardium presumably via receptor coupling to the same or similar inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein (Gi). To determine whether the cardioprotective effect of adenosine is mediated via adenosine A1 receptor coupling to Gi proteins, isolated rat hearts, perfused at constant pressure and constant heart rate, were subjected to 30 min global normothermic (37 degrees C) ischemia and 45 min reperfusion. Untreated control hearts recovered 52 +/- 2% of preischemic left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP). Hearts treated for 10 minutes prior to ischemia with adenosine (100 microM) and the adenosine A1 receptor agonist cyclohexyladenosine (CHA, 0.25 microM) recovered 67 +/- 4% and 70 +/- 4%, respectively. Hearts treated with the non-specific muscarinic cholinergic agonist carbamylcholine (1 microM) exhibited similar enhanced postischemic recovery (70 +/- 3%). Pretreatment of rats with pertussis toxin (25 micrograms/kg i.p., 48 h prior to isolation) significantly reduced the negative chronotropic effects of adenosine and CHA. Pertussis toxin pretreatment also blocked the beneficial effects of adenosine (57 +/- 4% recovery) and CHA (49 +/- 4% recovery) on postischemic function. These results support the hypothesis that the salutary effect of adenosine on the ischemic myocardium is mediated via adenosine A1 receptor coupling to a pertussis toxin sensitive G protein, presumably Gi.