title: Fasudil and its analogs: a new powerful weapon in the long war against central nervous system disorders?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rho kinase (ROCK) plays a critical role in actin cytoskeleton organization and is involved in diverse fundamental cellular functions such as contraction and gene expression. Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, has been clinically applied since 1995 for the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in Japan. Increasing evidences indicate that fasudil could exhibit markedly therapeutic effect on central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article summarizes results from supporting evidence for the potential therapy for fasudil against a variety of CNS diseases. And the properties of its analogs are also summarized.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current therapies against CNS disorders are only able to attenuate the symptoms and fail in delaying or preventing disease progression and new approaches with disease-modifying activity are desperately needed. The dramatic effects of fasudil in animal models and/or clinical applications of CNS disorders make it a promising strategy to overcome CNS disorders in human beings. Given the complex pathology of CNS disorders, further efforts are necessary to develop multifunctional fasudil derivatives or combination strategies with other drugs in order to exert more powerful effects with minimized adverse effects in the combat of CNS disorders.
authors: Sun Yat-Sen University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Guangzhou, China.
authors: Meihui
authors: M
authors: Chen
authors: Anmin
authors: A
authors: Liu
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Ouyang
authors: Yingjuan
authors: Y
authors: Huang
authors: Xiaojuan
authors: X
authors: Chao
authors: Rongbiao
authors: R
authors: Pi
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; C049347:fasudil