• 생물정신의학
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.155-161
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• 1997

Serotonin has been implicated in the etiology of many disease states and may be particularly important mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, sleep disorders, suicide, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, migraine and others. Many currently used treatments of these disorders are thought to act by modulating serotonergic function. The identification of many serotonin subtypes, most of which have been shown to have functional activity and differential distribution, has stimulated considerable effort into synthesizing selective ligands(drugs) to help understand their significance. This should understand the role of serotonin in mental disorders and these new drugs can be studied alone and in combination with other treatments in order to clarify the parameters of drug use for the clinical effect.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.506-512
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• 2012

Although pruritus is the critical symptom of atopic dermatitis that profoundly affect the patients' quality of life, controlling and management of prurirtus still remains as unmet needs mainly due to the distinctive multifactorial pathogenesis of pruritus in atopic dermatitis. Based on the distinct feature of atopic dermatitis that psychological state of patients substantially influence on the intensity of pruritus, various psychotropic drugs have been used in clinic to relieve pruritus of atopic dermatitis patients. Only several psychotropic drugs were reported to show real antipruritic effects in atopic dermatitis patients including naltrexone, doxepin, trimipramine, bupropion, tandospirone, paroxetine and fluvoxamine. However, the precise mechanisms of antipruritic effect of these psychotropic drugs are still unclear. In human skin, serotonin receptors and serotonin transporter protein are expressed on skin cells such as keratinocytes, melanocytes, dermal fibroblasts, mast cells, T cells, natural killer cells, langerhans cells, and sensory nerve endings. It is noteworthy that serotonergic drugs, as well as serotonin itself, showed immune-modulating effect. Fenfluramine, fluoxetine and 2, 5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine significantly decreased lymphocyte proliferation. It is still questionable whether these serotonergic drugs exert the immunosuppressive effects via serotonin receptor or serotonin transporter. All these clinical and experimental reports suggest the possibility that antipruritic effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in atopic dermatitis patients might be at least partly due to their suppressive effect on T cells. Further studies should be conducted to elucidate the precise mechanism of neuroimmunological interaction in pruritus of atopic dermatitis.

• 한국패류학회지
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.15-22
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• 2009

Because it is known that bivalve hearts contain various modulatory systems activated by neuroendocrine substances, it was examined whether different classes of endogenous and synthetic drugs of neuroendocrinological importance can influence cardiac functions of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Cholinergically active agents acetylcholine and carbachol increased heart rates while diminishing cardiac contractility. Adrenergically active substances norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (Epi) also induced heart rate increase and contractility decrease. An $\alpha_1$-adrenergic receptor-selective agonist phenyephrine (PE) failed to modulate either parameter. The Epi-induced heart rate increase and contractile depression were both blocked significantly by non-selective $\beta_1/\beta_2$-adrenergic antagonist propranolol. A $\beta_1$-selective antagonist atenolol prevented Epi-induced heart rate decrease but not the contractile depression, suggesting possible $\beta_2$ receptors for Epi-induced contractile depression. The three autacoids examined exerted discrete responses: histamine increased heart rate and depressed contraction; $\gamma$-amino-butyric acid increased both parameters; serotonin failed to change either parameter. The 5 piscine anesthetic agents examined, MS-222, benzocaine, quinaldine, urethane, pantocaine and pentobarbital, all failed to influence the cardiac function of oysters. Collectively, activities of neuroendocrinologically acting agents in mammals showed unexpected and distinct activities from those in mammalian cardiovascular systems. These results obtained from substances of different physiological functions can serve as a basis for understanding neuroendocrine control of the heart function in Pacific oyster.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.4-10
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• 2015

Etifoxine (etafenoxine, $Stresam^{(R)}$) is a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic with an anticonvulsant effect. It was developed in the 1960s for anxiety disorders and is currently being studied for its ability to promote peripheral nerve healing and to treat chemotherapy-induced pain. In addition to being mediated by $GABA_A{\alpha}2$ receptors like benzodiazepines, etifoxine appears to produce anxiolytic effects directly by binding to ${\beta}2$ or ${\beta}3$ subunits of the $GABA_A$ receptor complex. It also modulates $GABA_A$ receptors indirectly via stimulation of neurosteroid production after etifoxine binds to the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) of the outer mitochondrial membrane in the central and peripheral nervous systems, previously known as the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR). Therefore, the effects of etifoxine are not completely reversed by the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil. Etifoxine is used for various emotional and bodily reactions followed by anxiety. It is contraindicated in situations such as shock, severely impaired liver or kidney function, and severe respiratory failure. The average dosage is 150 mg per day for no more than 12 weeks. The most common adverse effect is drowsiness at the initial stage. It does not usually cause any withdrawal syndromes. In conclusion, etifoxine shows less adverse effects of anterograde amnesia, sedation, impaired psychomotor performance, and withdrawal syndromes than those of benzodiazepines. It potentiates $GABA_A$ receptor-function by a direct allosteric effect and by an indirect mechanism involving the activation of TSPO. It seems promising that non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics including etifoxine will replenish shortcomings of benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors according to animated studies related to TSPO.

• 정신신체의학
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.57-65
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• 2011

많은 심혈관질환약물과 향정신성약물 간에 다양한 약물상호작용이 존재하며 이러한 약물들의 대부분이 시트크롬(cytochrome, CYP)450 효소의 기질, 억제제, 유도제로 작용하면서 약물상호작용이 일어나게 된다. 주로 CYP2D6와 CYP3A4를 억제하는 향정신성약물로 인해 같이 투여되는 심혈관질환약물의 효과가 변할 수 있고 부작용까지 나타날 수 있다. 이런 상황을 고려하고 반대의 경우도 포함하여 흔히 처방되는 두 종류의 약물을 병용 투여하는 경우 고려해야 할 부분에 대해서 심혈관질환약물 분류에 따라 논하였다. 대부분의 베타차단제는 CYP2D6의 대사에 의존하므로 이 대사를 억제하는 bupropion, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, SSRIs, quinidine 등을 사용했을 때 베타차단제의 독성이 나타날 수 있다. 앤지오텐신 관련 약물과 이뇨제가 lithium의 농도를 변화시키는 점도 고려하여야 한다. 칼슘통로차단제 및 콜레스테롤강하제를 CYP3A4의 강력한 억제제인 amiodarone, diltiazem, fluvoxamine, nefazodone, verapamil 등과 함께 사용하였을 때 약물 상호작용에 따른 부작용에 유의하여야 한다. 항부정맥제를 복용하는 환자에서 QT 간격 증가를 야기하는 약물이나 관련 CYP450 효소를 억제하는 약물을 동시에 투여하는 것은 삼가거나 적극적인 관찰이 필요하다. Digoxin과 warfarin이 병용 투여되는 향정신성약물로 인해 혈중 농도가 변하는 것도 임상적으로 중요하다.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.421-426
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• 1997

[$^{18}F$]FMBS는 도파민 $D_2$ 수용체 방사성추적자로서 유망한 성질을 지니고 있다. [$^{18}F$]FMBS는 비교적 높은 특이결합/비특이결합 비를 제공하며, 그 체내결합은 도파민 $D_2$ 수용체에 대하여 높은 특이성과 선택성을 보인다. 도파빈 $D_2$ 수용체 측정을 위한 보다 적합한 PET 방사성추적자를 얻기 위해서는 [$^{18}F$]FMBS의 낮은 뇌섭취와 느린 역학을 개선할 수 있는 화학적 구조의 변형이 시도되어야 하며, [$^{18}F$]FMBS는 이러한 시도의 골격이 될 수 있을 것으로 믿는다.