title: Calpains inhibitors--a review of the recent patent literature.
abstract: Calpain inhibitors prevent proteolytic degradation of cellular proteins due to activation of calcium-activated cysteine proteases (calpains). As a class, they show promising cytoprotective activity in a variety of disorders where the final common pathway is increased intracellular concentrations of calcium, activation of calpain-mediated protein degradation, and subsequent cell death. These disorders include cerebral stroke, cerebral and spinal cord trauma, and myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Studies, Unit of Clinical and Biochemical Pharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 10/3C103, 10 Center Drive MSC 1256, Bethesda, MD 20892-1256, USA. pbdp@helix.nih.gov
authors.forename: Paolo B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: DePetrillo