Putative therapeutic applications of calmodulin antagonists.

Calmodulin is the most important intracellular receptor protein for the second messenger calcium. The calcium-calmodulin complex regulates a number of physiological processes. An increasing number of pharmaceutical products is reported to interfere with the calcium-calmodulin complex. Despite the fact that the precise mechanisms of action of these so-called calmodulin antagonists await further clarification, reports accumulate in the literature indicating a broadening spectrum of putative therapeutic applications of calmodulin antagonists. Some of these applications, such as in cell proliferation, hypertension, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia and gastro-intestinal disorders, are discussed in the present review.