An accelerated rate of natural-product discovery is critical for the future of ion channel pharmacology. For the full potential of natural products to be realized, an interdisciplinary initiative is required that combines chemical ecology and ion channel physiology. A prime source of future drug leads targeted to ion channels is the vast assortment of compounds that mediate biotic interactions in the marine environment. Many animals have evolved a chemical strategy to change the behavior of their prey, predators or competitors, which appears to require a large set of ion channel-targeted compounds acting in concert. Some of these compounds (e.g., ziconotide [Prialt(®)]) have already found important biomedical applications. The elucidation of molecular mechanisms mediating biotic interactions should yield a rich stream of potent and selective natural products for the drug pipeline.
An accelerated rate of natural-product discovery is critical for the future of ion channel pharmacology. For the full potential of natural products to be realized, an interdisciplinary initiative is required that combines chemical ecology and ion channel physiology. A prime source of future drug leads targeted to ion channels is the vast assortment of compounds that mediate biotic interactions in the marine environment. pan class="Species">Many animals have evolved a chemical strategy to change the behavior of their class="Chemical">prey, class="Chemical">predators or comclass="Chemical">petitors, which aclass="Chemical">pclass="Chemical">pears to require a large set of ion channel-targeted comclass="Chemical">pounds acting in concert. Some of these comclass="Chemical">pounds (e.g., ziconotide [Prialt(®)]) have already found imclass="Chemical">portant biomedical aclass="Chemical">pclass="Chemical">plications. The elucidation of molecular mechanisms mediating biotic interactions should yield a rich stream of class="Chemical">potent and selective natural class="Chemical">products for the drug class="Chemical">piclass="Chemical">peline.
Authors: Craig S Walker; Stori Jensen; Michael Ellison; Jose A Matta; Won Yong Lee; Julita S Imperial; Nick Duclos; Penelope J Brockie; David M Madsen; John T R Isaac; Baldomero Olivera; Andres V Maricq Journal: Curr Biol Date: 2009-05-28 Impact factor: 10.834