Phosphodiesterases as Drug Targets: Development and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, several new molecules have been introduced to treat obstructive lung diseases associated with inflammation (e.g., bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)), including long-acting bronchodilators, corticosteroids and monoclonal antibodies. Despite this, some patients may benefit from a more selective approach to treatment (preferentially accompanied by fewer adverse effects), particularly when a combination of drugs is required to manage severe stages of these diseases. Inhibiting certain phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoenzymes (e.g., PDE3 and PDE4) and, thereby, increasing the concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in specific tissues and organs may have therapeutic benefits. PDEs have become attractive drug targets because an increase in cAMP can relax smooth muscle and suppress inflammation and, thus, could be used in COPD, asthma or psoriasis. Moreover, there are many other situations where increased intracellular cyclic nucleotide concentrations could be of benefit. For example, selective inhibition of PDE5 and subsequent increases in intracellular cGMP concentration in vascular smooth muscle may result in vasodilation and, thus, could be used in the therapy of pulmonary hypertension or erectile dysfunction.An integral part of this process is to collect sufficient evidence about the efficacy and safety of these molecules in animal models and in clinical settings of various diseases, as well as by various routes of administration. In this respect, manuscripts that describe recent developments in research on PDEs and  their inhibitors in both experimental and clinical settings are invited.
The journal Pharmaceuticals invites both reviews and original articles that shed light on the challenges and opportunities of targeting PDEs. The collection of manuscripts will be published as a Special Issue of the journal.

Prof. Dr. Juraj Mokrý
Guest Editor

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