Therapeutic Potential of Highly Selective A<sub>3</sub> Adenosine Receptor Ligands in the Central and Peripheral Nervous System
Elisabetta Coppi,
Federica Cherchi,
Martina Venturini,
Elena Lucarini,
Renato Corradetti,
Lorenzo Di Cesare Mannelli,
Carla Ghelardini,
Felicita Pedata,
Anna Maria Pugliese
Affiliations
Elisabetta Coppi
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Federica Cherchi
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Martina Venturini
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Elena Lucarini
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Renato Corradetti
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Lorenzo Di Cesare Mannelli
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Carla Ghelardini
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Felicita Pedata
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Anna Maria Pugliese
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Ligands of the Gi protein-coupled adenosine A3 receptor (A3R) are receiving increasing interest as attractive therapeutic tools for the treatment of a number of pathological conditions of the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS, respectively). Their safe pharmacological profiles emerging from clinical trials on different pathologies (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and fatty liver diseases) confer a realistic translational potential to these compounds, thus encouraging the investigation of highly selective agonists and antagonists of A3R. The present review summarizes information on the effect of latest-generation A3R ligands, not yet available in commerce, obtained by using different in vitro and in vivo models of various PNS- or CNS-related disorders. This review places particular focus on brain ischemia insults and colitis, where the prototypical A3R agonist, Cl-IB-MECA, and antagonist, MRS1523, have been used in research studies as reference compounds to explore the effects of latest-generation ligands on this receptor. The advantages and weaknesses of these compounds in terms of therapeutic potential are discussed.
