Abstract
Adrenaline was discovered in 1895 as a component of adrenal medullary extracts possessing a vasopressor effect [1]. Soon after its discovery, it was recognized that adrenaline can produce a variety of biological effects, both stimulatory and inhibitory [2]. The discovery in 1906 by Dale of the selective antagonism of pressor responses to adrenaline by ergot alkaloids [3] led to the concept of dual, stimulatory and inhibitory, catecholamine receptors. This concept was further developed by Ahlquist [4] who was the first to classify adrenergic receptors based on pharmacological specificity rather than response type. Ahlquist’s classification of α- and β-adrenergic receptors has stood the test of time and has proved to be a remarkably fertile concept. From a practical point of view, it has laid the ground for the development of new classes of therapeutic agents: the use of β-adrenergic antagonists in hypertension, coronary disease, and many other disorders makes these compounds the most widely used therapeutic agents, as recognized by the Nobel prize awarded to Sir James Black, the discoverer of propranolol [5]. Interestingly, the discovery of β-blocking agents was also the trigger for major theoretical advances, as it rekindled interest in Ahlquist’s dormant concept.
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© 1989 Birkhäuser Verlag Basel
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Kunos, G. (1989). Adrenergic receptor research: Recent developments. In: Jucker, E. (eds) Progress in Drug Research. Progress in Drug Research, vol 33. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-9146-2_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-9146-2_7
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