Group II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists as a potential drug for schizophrenia

• Published in: European journal of pharmacology 2010-08, Vol.639 (1), p.59-66
• Main Author: Chaki, Shigeyuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antipsychotic; Antipsychotic Agents - chemical synthesis; Antipsychotic Agents - chemistry; Antipsychotic Agents - pharmacology; Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - chemical synthesis; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - chemistry; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - pharmacology; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - therapeutic use; Humans; mGlu 2 receptor; mGlu 2/3 receptor; mGlu 3 receptor; Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate - agonists; Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate - chemistry; Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate - metabolism; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - drug therapy; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - physiology
• ISSN: 0014-2999; 1879-0712
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2009.12.041

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu receptors), with their unique signaling systems and pharmacological characteristics, have emerged as a new topic in excitatory amino acid research. Among them, the unique distribution of group II mGlu receptors, such as mGlu 2 and mGlu 3 receptors, and the involvement of these receptors in the regulation of neurotransmission are particularly interesting. Recently, potent agonists for mGlu 2/3 receptor have been synthesized, and their pharmacological roles have been intensively investigated using animal models. mGlu 2/3 receptors clearly have crucial roles in the central nervous system, and accumulating evidence in both rodents and human studies has suggested that agonists for mGlu 2/3 receptors may be beneficial for the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Possible neuronal circuits through which mGlu 2/3 receptor agonists exert their pharmacological effects have also been investigated.