Adenosine receptors and their modulators.

The identification and characterization of adenosine receptors and the development of potent, receptor subtype-selective agonists and antagonists has been an active area of research for the past 20 years. Major recent advances in the field have been the cloning of several adenosine receptor subtypes of different species, including the discovery of a new subtype, designated A3, the discovery and development of new agonists and antagonists, particularly those with selectivity for the A2a adenosine receptor, the characterization of signal transduction pathways, and the development of agents which act indirectly on the adenosine receptor system. The present article focusses on aspects of pharmaceutical/medicinal chemistry related to adenosine receptors.