Development of Anti-Asthma Drugs

Development of Anti-Asthma Drugs reviews existing asthma treatments and novel approaches currently under investigation, in the context of their mode of action and clinical effectiveness, in the hope that this might lead to a greater understanding of the factors involved in the expression of the disease and, therefore, in the design of better drugs. It is planned based on the concept of the causes and treatment of asthma, This book is organized in three main parts. Part I deals with the nature of asthma, its pathological mechanisms, natural history and epidemiology. Part II discusses mediators associated with asthma including platelet-activating factor, leukotrienes and histamine. Part II covers pharmaceutical approaches in the development of anti-asthma drugs and includes sections on inhibitors of mediator release and competitive and functional antagonists. This book will be of interest to persons dealing with studies on anti-asthma drugs and those interested in pharmacological development.

ContentsIntroduction Part 1 Asthma-The Nature of the Disease 1 Asthma-The Nature of the Disease Definition-What Is Asthma? Natural History Epidemiology Pathological Mechanisms Part 2 Mediators 2 Histamine Introduction Histamine Release Actions of Histamine Concluding Remarks 3 Leukotrienes Introduction Structure, Formation and Metabolism Biological Activities of the Leukotrienes Conclusions 4 Platelet-Activating Factor Introduction Historical Overview of Platelet-Activating Factor Structure and Metabolism of PAF PAF Production In Inflammation PAF-Induced Platelet Stimulation Other Inflammatory Effects of PAF Physiology Effects On Smooth Muscle Effects of Vascular Permeability Pharmacological Modulation Conclusion 5 Eosinophils and Neutrophils Introduction General Properties of Eosinophils and Neutrophils Allergy and the Eosinophil Allergy and the Neutrophil Inflammatory Cells and the Progression of Asthma Corticosteroids, Eosinophils and Neutrophils Summary 6 Acetylcholine Laurie Introduction Acetylcholine As A Neurotransmitter The Cholinergic Nervous System In Asthma Summary Part 3 Pharmacological Approaches Section 1 Competitive Antagonists 7 Hi Antihistamines 8 SRS-A Antagonists 9 Anti-Cholinergic Drugs Section 2 Functional Antagonists 10 Drugs Acting At Adrenoceptors 11 Theophylline 12 Prostaglandins and Related Compounds Section 3 Inhibitors of Mediator Release 13 Disodium Cromoglycate and Compounds With Similar Activities 14 Corticosteroids 15 Non-Steroidal Inhibitors of Arachidonic Acid Metabolism 16 Specific Hyposensitization SummaryIndex