Nicotinic Agonist - Drug Development

Drug Development

The development of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists began in the early 1990s after the discovery of nicotine’s positive effects on animal memory. The development of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists has come a long way since then. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist are gaining increasing attention as drug candidates for multiple central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nicotine addiction. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are receptors found in the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous systems and skeletal muscles. They are ligand-gated ion channels with binding sites for acetylcholine as well as other agonists. When agonists bind to a receptor it stabilizes the open state of the ion channel allowing influx of cations.

In 2009 there were at least five drugs on the market that affect the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.