title: The novel strategy of glucocorticoid drug development via targeting nongenomic mechanisms.
abstract: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used in clinical practice as potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. Unfortunately, they can also produce numerous and potentially serious side effects that limit their usage. This problem represents the driving force for the intensive search for novel GCs with a better benefit-risk ratio compared to conventional GCs. GCs are believed to take effects mainly through classical genomic mechanisms, which are also largely responsible for GCs' side effects. However, in addition to these genomic effects, GCs also demonstrate rapid genomic-independent activities. It has become increasingly evident that some of the anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, anti-allergic and anti-shock effects of GCs could be mediated through nongenomic mechanisms. Thus, theoretically, trying to use nongenomic mechanisms of GCs more intensively may represent a novel strategy for development of GCs with low side effect profile. The new GCs' drugs will take clinical effects mainly via nongenomic mechanisms and do not execute the classical genomic mechanism to reduce side effects.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Stress Medicine, Faculty of Psychology and Mental Health, Second Military Medical University, 800 Xiangyin Road, 200433 Shanghai, PR China. Electronic address: cljiang@vip.163.com.
authors.forename: Chun-Lei
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Stress Medicine, Faculty of Psychology and Mental Health, Second Military Medical University, 800 Xiangyin Road, 200433 Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 528 Zhangheng Road, 201203 Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité University Hospital, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: frank.buttgereit@charite.de.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buttgereit
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015195:Drug Design; D023281:Genomics; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents
keywords: Anti-inflammation; Clinical usage; Drug development; Glucocorticoids; Nongenomic mechanism; Side effects