J. Primeau* and J. Butera Pages 391 - 406 ( 16 )
Research efforts in the potassium channel area are continuing at an extraordinary rate. The molecular biological studies of some of these channels have yielded a more sophisticated understanding of their structure and function. This in turn may allow the more systematic design of selective and potentially more useful therapeutic agents. This review will update the current state of potassium channel activator/opener (KCO) discovery and development and will emphasize the structure/function of the various classes of activalors and where possible correlate pharmacophores with activity at a defined channel.
The central focus will be the cardiovascular therapeutic area. However, information will be drawn from the diabetes, central nervous system and pulmonary literature in order to adequately explore the relationship between compound structure, channel specificity, pharmacological function, and resulting tissue/organ selectivity.
Since the explosion in the development efforts of KCOs began, many excellent reviews have been written. This review will begin where they left off, abstracting the primary and patent literature published since these previous works.