Natural products as tools for studies of ligand-gated ion channels.
Ligand-gated ion channels, or ionotropic receptors, constitute a group of membrane-bound proteins that regulate the flux of ions across the cell membrane. In the brain, ligand-gated ion channels mediate fast neurotransmission. They are crucial for normal brain function and involved in many diseases in the brain. Historically, natural products have been used extensively in biomedical studies and ultimately as drugs or leads for drug design. In studies of ligand-gated ion channels, natural products have been essential for the understanding of their structure and function. In the following a short survey of natural products and their use in studies of ligand-gated ion channels is given.
Strømgaard
Kristian
K
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. krst@dfuni.dk
D000818:Animals; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D008024:Ligands; D011487:Protein Conformation
D001688:Biological Products; D007473:Ion Channels; D008024:Ligands