METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS

Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors are becoming increasingly inte resting as potential drug targets for the treatment of a variety of ce ntral nervous system (CNS) disorders including epilepsy and chronic an d acute neurodegeneration. In contrast to the ionotropic glutamate (iG lu) receptors of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), amino-3-[5-methyl-3- hydroxyisoxazol-4-yl]propionic acid (AMPA) and kainate types that form ion channels, mGlu receptors couple to G-proteins and modulate a vari ety of membrane enzymes and ion channels. The eight mGlu receptor subt ypes revealed to date by molecular cloning exhibit not only distinct p harmacological properties, but also different functions in the brain. This article describes the potential disease targets of compounds acti ng at the various mGlu receptor subtypes, and the development of such compounds by reviewing both the primary and patent literature.