Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 9, Issue 6, 2003

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by loss of memory, cognition, and behavioral stability. AD is defined pathologically by extracellular neuritic plaques comprised of fibrillar deposits of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles comprised of paired helical filaments of hyperphosphorylated tau. Current therapies for AD, such as cholinesterase inhibitors, treat the symptoms but Read More

The formation of senile plaques containing amyloid β peptides (Aβ peptides) as a major constituent plays a significant role in development of Alzheimer's disease. The concentration of Aβ peptides in the brain is determined by a combination of their rate of synthesis and their rate of clearance. Considerable effort has been expended in producing inhibitors of the β and γ secretases involved in the synthesis of the Aβ p Read More

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in North American men and accounts for 10% of cancer-related deaths in men. Despite advances in early detection and aggressive treatment of early disease, the overall mortality rate has not appear to have fallen, indicating that the current therapies are not beneficial for life expectancy and new strategies are required. Prostate cancer is a dynamic evolving process t Read More

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a novel member of the secretin / glucagon / vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) superfamily. In vertebrates, including avians, it occurs in two forms: PACAP38 and PACAP27. PACAP structure is well conserved during evolution, being identical in mammals, and showing one amino acid dfifference in avians (chick, turkey). PACAP is widely distributed in the central n Read More

The following review outlines the physiological outcome of VIP and VIP gene manipulations. Previously, we reviewed the various VIP receptors associated with biological functions ranging from growth regulation, sexual function, bronchodilation, vasodilation and immune interactions to neurotrophism. VIP-based drug design is discussed below.

Neuropeptides can function as autocrine growth factors in cancer cells. High levels of bombesin (BB) and neurotensin (NT)-like immunoreactivity are present in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a neuroendocrine tumor. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) stimulates and somatostatin (SST) inhibits the release of BB-like peptides from SCLC cells. BB-like peptides bind to BB2 receptors, which are present on the cell surface. BB-like pe Read More