Review
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 5, 660-670 (August 2006) | doi:10.1038/nrd2058
Phosphodiesterases in the CNS: targets for drug development
Frank S. Menniti1, W. Stephen Faraci2 & Christopher J. Schmidt1 About the authors
Abstract
The therapeutic and commercial success of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis has sparked renewed interest in the phosphodiesterases as drug discovery targets. Virtually all the phosphodiesterases are expressed in the CNS, making this gene family a particularly attractive source of new targets for the treatment of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Significantly, all neurons express multiple phosphodiesterases, which differ in cyclic nucleotide specificity, affinity, regulatory control and subcellular compartmentalization. Therefore, phosphodiesterase inhibition represents a mechanism through which it could be possible to precisely modulate neuronal activity. In this article, we review the current state of the art in the burgeoning field of phosphodiesterase pharmacology in the CNS.
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Author affiliations
- Pfizer Global Research and Development, CNS Discovery, Groton, Connecticut 06340, USA.
- Pfizer Global Research and Development, Research Technology Centre, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Correspondence to: Christopher J. Schmidt1 Email: christopher.j.schmidt@pfizer.com
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