인체 및 고등 동물에서 생성되는 디기탈리스 유사체의 탐색

A Search for Endogenous Digitalis-like Factors

The successful elucidation of the opiate receptor and its natural ligands has generated speculation that other drugs might interact with cellular sites designed to accommodate endogenous mediators. The properties of binding sites for the cardiac glycosides(CG), together with the potency and specificity of the digitalis drugs suggest that CG mimic an endogenous digitalis-like factor. Recently, several laboratories have reported the potency in mammalian tissues and fluids of unidentified materials that share certain specific properties of the CG. Identification of body''s own digitalis might yield a natural compound whose synthetic analogs may provide safer and more effective drugs than can be achieved by structural modification of the CG of plant origin.