Epibatidine and analogs - New trends in the development of cognitive enhancers and strong analgetics
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2001 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Vojenské zdravotnické listy |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://www.pmfhk.cz/DEPART/ui/VZL/VZL12001/vzl1_12.htm |
| Field | Pharmacology and pharmaceutical chemistry |
| Keywords | epibatidine;analgetics;poison-dart frog; alkaloid; nicotinic acetylcholine agonist;dementia;Alzheimer's disease;pain;toxin |
| Description | Epibatidine, the natural alkaloid isolated from the skin of the Ecuatorian rainforest poison-dart frog. Epipedobates tricolor and some of its synthetically prepared analogs are strong selective agonists of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. All of these substances have an analgesic effect and could be used in medical practice. This is very promising for medicine in the fight against pain as well as against dementia, because nicotinic agonists have been found to improve the performance of a variety of memory tasks in rodents and they are probably beneficial in Alzheimer's disease treatment. |