THE MOLECULAR MESSENGER AND NONMESSENGER
TARGET SYSTEM
A third conceptual approach, the one favored in this book, is to focus on the biochem-
ical and molecular processes of human disease. The authors call this system the
MessengerandNon-MessengerTarget System (MANMETS). It may be classified as
follows:
- Messenger targets I—Neurotransmitters
a. Acetylcholine and cholinergic receptors (nicotinic, muscarinic [M1, M2, ...])
b. Norepinephrine and adrenergic receptors (α,β)
c. Dopamine and dopaminergic receptors (D1, D2, ...)
d. Serotonin and serotonergic receptors (HT1, HT2, ...)
e. Histamine and histaminergic receptors (H1, H2, ...)
f. Gamma-aminobutyric acid and GABAergic receptors (GABA-A, GABA-B, ...)
g. Glutamate and glutamatergic receptors (NMDA, AMPA, kainate)
h. Glycine and glycinergic receptors
i. Neuropeptides and peptidergic receptors
Opioid peptides
Neurokinins
Neuropeptide Y
Galanin
Cholecystokinin
j. “Neurogases” and associated receptors
NO
CO
k. Taurine and beta-alanine
l. Purines and adenosine - Messenger targets II—Hormones
a. Steroid hormones and their receptors
Estrogens
Progestins
Androgens
Adrenal steroids
b. Peptide hormones and their receptors
Pituitary neurohormones
Oxytocin and vasopressin
Insulin and glucagon
Renin–angiotensin hormones - Messenger targets III—Immunomodulators
a. Immunosuppressants and their receptors
b. Immunomodulators/immunostimulants and their receptors - Non-messenger targets I—Endogenous cellular structures
a. Membrane targets
Membrane lipids
Membrane proteins
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