title: Perspectives in Designing Multifunctional Molecules in Antipsychotic Drug Discovery.
abstract: Preclinical Research A novel and promising approach to overcome the limits of single-target therapy is represented by the multitarget approach. This strategy aims to simultaneously modulate several targets involved in the pathophysiology of a multifactorial disease, with the potential to enhance therapeutic effectiveness and improve drug safety. Although there has been a marked growth in the design of multitarget drugs (MTDs) in the last years in the context of anti-Alzheimer and anti-cancer drug discovery, a parallel expansion was not observed in antipsychotic drugs, even that for psychiatric disorders there is a cogent medical need for new treatments. The discovery of new MTDs is a challenging task and we will describe the main strategies that have been developed over the years for the design of multifunctional molecules in antipsychotic drug discovery. In particular, we will focus on the few available MTDs based on the design of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, used as antidepressants and in the treatment of schizophrenia. Drug Dev Res 77 : 437-443, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, C.so d'Augusto 237, Rimini, 47921, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milelli
authors.affiliation: Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, C.so d'Augusto 237, Rimini, 47921, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Turrini
authors.affiliation: Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, C.so d'Augusto 237, Rimini, 47921, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Catanzaro
authors.affiliation: Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, C.so d'Augusto 237, Rimini, 47921, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maffei
authors.affiliation: Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, C.so d'Augusto 237, Rimini, 47921, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fimognari
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D064798:Polypharmacology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
keywords: multifunctional molecules design; multitarget approach; polypharmacology; selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors