Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 11, Issue 15, 2005

GABAA receptor channels are ubiquitous in the mammalian central nervous system mediating fast inhibitory neurotransmission by becoming permeant to chloride ions in response to GABA. The emphasis of this review is on the rich chemical diversity of ligands that influence GABAA receptor function. Such diversity provides many avenues for the design and development of new chemical entities acting on GABAA rec Read More

Voltage-gated calcium channels are key sources of calcium entry into the cytosol. Mutations in calcium channels have been implicated in numerous disorders such as migraine, incomplete congenital X-linked stationary night blindness, epilepsy, and ataxia, and they are important therapeutic targets for the treatment of pain, stroke, hypertension, and epilepsy. Calcium channel antagonists can be broadly classified into three gr Read More

It has long been known that many chemical and physical stimuli imposed on the cell from its exterior environments elicit a long-lasting Ca2+ influx through yet poorly elucidated transmembrane pathways distinct from voltage-gated and fast ligand-gated Ca2+ entry channels, thereby activating and modulating a variety of cellular functions. Recent progress in molecularly identifying these pathways, initiated from the discovery of Read More

ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels link membrane excitability to metabolism. They are regulated by intracellular nucleotides and by other factors including membrane phospholipids, protein kinases and phosphatases. KATP channels comprise octamers of four Kir6 pore-forming subunits associated with four sulphonylurea receptor subunits. The exact subunit composition differs between the tissues in which the ch Read More

Gap junctions are clusters of intercellular channels that provide morphological support for direct diffusion of ions and low-molecular-weight molecules between adjacent coupled cells. Each gap junction channel is made by docking of two hemichannels or connexons, each formed by assembly of six proteins (connexins). 21 members of the connexin gene family are likely to be expressed in the human genome. These u Read More

Cardiac arrhythmias remain a major source of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Antiarrhythmic drug therapy was traditionally the mainstay of cardiac arrhythmia treatment; however, drug therapy of cardiac arrhythmias has been plagued by incomplete efficacy and by potentially serious adverse reactions, of which the most worrisome has been a potential for malignant proarrhythmia and related effect Read More

The role of voltage-gated and ligand-gated ion channels in epileptogenesis of both genetic and acquired epilepsies, and as targets in the development of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is reviewed. Voltage-gated Na+ channels are essential for action potentials, and their mutations are the substrate for generalised epilepsy with febrile seizures plus and benign familial neonatal infantile seizures; Na+ channel inhibition is t Read More