Current Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 17, Issue 24, 2010

PDE5 belongs to a superfamily of enzymes that catalyzes the hydrolysis of cyclic nucleotides cAMP and cGMP to the corresponding 5-nucleoside monophosphate. PDE5 takes part in many physiological and pathological functions, therefore selective PDE5 inhibitors are potentially useful for a variety of pathologies. At the present, PDE5 inhibitors available on the market have been used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction Read More

Together with anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) constitutes one of the main representatives of a family of endogenous lipids known as endocannabinoids. These act by binding to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, the molecular target of the psychoactive compound Δ9-THC, both in the periphery and in the central nervous system, where they behave as retrograde messengers to modulate synaptic transmission. T Read More

L-glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). Although just a few glutamate receptor ligands have turned out to be clinically useful, primarily because of unfavorable psychotropic side effects, the glutamate system remains an attractive molecular target in the treatment of epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea), schizop Read More

Progress in genomics and proteomics provides clinical oncology with new anti-cancer drugs, which target selectively aberrantly expressed membrane proteins and associated signalling pathways in malignant cells. Molecular targeting also enables specific delivery of cytotoxic substances to tumours sparing healthy tissues. Improved selectivity of the treatment reduces side effects and widens the therapeutic window. Howe Read More

Receptor-binding peptides have attracted an enormous interest in targeting molecules for the development of tumour specific radiopharmaceutical compounds. The overexpression of many receptors on human tumour makes such peptide-ligands attractive agents for diagnostic imaging and therapy of cancers. The use of solid-phase peptide synthesis and the availability of a wide range of bifunctional chelating agents for the Read More

To the Editor: We regret that text within our article “The Significance of Neuroglobin in the Brain”, published in the journal Current Medicinal Chemistry (vol. 17, pp. 160-172) was unintentionally adapted from other sources without the proper attributions to the authors who made identical interpretations from the available primary data. We deeply regret any inconvenience to the source authors for this significant oversight Read More