title: Drugs related to monoamine oxidase activity.
abstract: Progress in understanding the role of monoamine neurotransmission in pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders was made after the discovery of the mechanisms of action of psychoactive drugs, including monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. The increase in monoamine neurotransmitter availability, decrease in hydrogen peroxide production, and neuroprotective effects evoked by MAO inhibitors represent an important approach in the development of new drugs for the treatment of mental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. New drugs are synthesized by acting as multitarget-directed ligands, with MAO, acetylcholinesterase, and iron chelation as targets. Basic information is summarized in this paper about the drug-induced regulation of monoaminergic systems in the brain, with a focus on MAO inhibition. Desirable effects of MAO inhibition include increased availability of monoamine neurotransmitters, decreased oxidative stress, decreased formation of neurotoxins, induction of pro-survival genes and antiapoptotic factors, and improved mitochondrial functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Ke Karlovu 11, 120 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic. Electronic address: zfisar@lf1.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Zdeněk
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fišar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase
keywords: Hybrid drug; Mental disorder; Monoamine oxidase; Monoamine oxidase inhibitor; Neuroprotection