Marine Natural Products Targeting the Cholinergic Triad

Dear Colleagues,

Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter that activates nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and it is a substrate of acetylcholinesterase. The “cholinergic triad” designs the nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and acetylcholinesterase. The cholinergic triad regulates many vital functions of the peripheral and CNS. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors ensure rapid neurotransmission at the neuromuscular junction enabling the skeletal muscle contraction needed for respiration or daily life. Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors regulate heart rate, smooth muscle contraction, and glandular secretion. Both, nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors modulate neurotransmitters release at the CNS participating in fundamental aspects involved in attention, learning, and memory. Cholinergic system failure is characteristic of several neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Schizophrenia, and drug addiction. Currently, three inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase are front-line drugs for palliative treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. The Special Issue “Marine Natural Products Targeting the Cholinergic Triad” calls for original and review manuscripts on marine compounds active in acetylcholinesterase, nicotinic, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors going from small alkaloids to peptides produced by microorganisms, dinoflagellates, and marine worms to sea snails.

Dr. Romulo Aráoz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
• Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors
• Acetylcholinesterase
• Acetylcholine
• Neurotoxin
• Neurotransmitter
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Neurological disorders