Pharmacology Of Potassium Channels

The aim of the present book is to comprehensively review current advances in understanding of genetics, structural biology, pharmacology of potassium channels and their roles in disease as well as to identify current gaps in knowledge. The ultimate goal is to provide a scientific foundation for better understanding of modulatory mechanisms and pharmacology of potassium channels and to use this understanding to drive future drug discovery. This book will be a must-have for academic and industrial scientists interested in physiology, pharmacology, pathology and structure-functional relationships of ion channels. The book will also be helpful for lecturers and students in the college and university classrooms, as well as for anyone interested in the state-of-the art in modern cell biology, physiology and pharmacology.

Potassium ions K+ ions are vital in physiological processes, particularly with regard to the cardiovascular system. Modulators influence the channels through which these ions flow and the research into modulator drugs of these channels is the subject of rapidly-advancing research. This work is intended to be of use as a tool for those working in the pharmaceutical industry. Early chapters concentrate on the synthesis and structure-activity relationships of potassium channel modulators. These are followed by discussion on the application of these drugs to different target organs, such as the cardiovascular system and the airways. The book concludes with a broad overview of clinical experience and future prospects.; The authors show how potassium channel activators and potassium channel blockers each have a role to play as therapeutic agents for many disorders, including asthma and respiratory tract disorders, diseases of the central nervous system such as epilepsy, and vascular diseases such as angina, peripheral vascular disease and high blood pressure. This book should therefore also be of interest to those researching into this wide range of diseases.

Due to the importance of potassium channels in cellular function, researchers have been challenged to develop tools and experimental procedures to probe the function and identify chemicals that modulate the behaviour of this super-family of ion channels. In Potassium Channels: Methods and Protocols, experts in the field present a range of experimental approaches that have been developed to investigate potassium channel structure, function, pharmacology, cell biology, gene expression, and their role in disease. Many of these techniques study potassium channels as cellular proteins as well as the resultant membrane biophysics. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, the chapters contain brief introductions to the subject, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and a Notes section, which highlights tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Thorough and cutting-edge, Potassium Channels: Methods and Protocols provides a wide range of approaches in order to aid current research projects and inspire new investigations.

Modulation of potassium channels plays a very important part in nerve cell function in the autonomic nervous system. Compounds are now in development which can open or close potassium channels and will have numerous therapeutic applications. The major areas of clinical relevance will be hypertension, asthma and irritable bladder syndrome. The book describes the pharmacology of the channels and strategies for the design of drugs which exploit them. It consists of 17 chapters by international experts in the field which are written at a high level and will be of interest to pharmacologists and those in related clinical research disciplines

"This e-book presents an overview of the different substances capable of modulating potassium channels in relation to various clinical indications in cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology and neurology. The possible benefits and side effects of potassium "

Edited by the most prominent person in the field and top researchers at US pharmaceutical companies, this is a unique resource for drug developers and physiologists seeking a molecular-level understanding of ion channel pharmacology. After an introduction to the topic, the authors evaluate the structure and function of ion channels, as well as related drug interaction. A section on assay technologies is followed by a section each on calcium, sodium and potassium channels. Further chapters cover genetic and acquired channelopathies, before the book closes with a look at safety issues in ion channel drug development. For medicinal and pharmaceutical chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists and those working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Potassium Channels: Advances in Research and Application: 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyBrief™ that delivers timely, authoritative, comprehensive, and specialized information about Potassium Channels in a concise format. The editors have built Potassium Channels: Advances in Research and Application: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Potassium Channels in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Potassium Channels: Advances in Research and Application: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Potassium channels (K+) are membrane-spanning proteins which serve many important functions and are becoming a hot topic in physiology. K+ channels determine or modulate many functions of vascular smooth muscle, endothelial and inflammatory cells, and thus are central to regulation of arterial tone and control of cell proliferation. They are also promising targets for antihypertensive treatments with drugs which open and close specific types of K+ channels, making for an active field of research. With their ability to control vascular tone, voltage-gated K+ channels play a significant role in both pulmonary and systemic hypertension as well as in cardiac arrhythmias. This book will highlight the latest discoveries by leading researchers pertaining to the role of K+ channels in the heart and blood vessels in normal physiology and a variety of disease states.