Abstract
Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are an important class of ion channels that have been associated with a number of neurological conditions. A great deal of research has been focused on attempting to understand the exact physiological role of these receptors. As drug targets, the nAChRs are quite complex, both in their structure (multiple receptor subtypes) and their physiological function. Initially, the difficulty encountered in identifying small-molecule modulators led to doubts about the validity of this class of receptors as drug targets. More recently, in vitro and in vivo data, homology modelling, and the identification of small-molecule agonists, have confirmed nAChRs as valid drug discovery targets. In fact, several compounds are now in clinical development for the treatment of pain, smoking cessation and cognitive disorders. 2004
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 61-64 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Drug target(s)
- Ion channel
- Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Drug Discovery
- Clinical Biochemistry