Original article
Solving the crisis in psychopharmacological research: Cellular-membrane(s) pharmacology to the rescue?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110545Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Psychopharmacology is in crisis; its pipe-lines have dried up.

  • To solve the crisis and again fill the pipes “new lines of study” should be explored.

  • As such, the physical-chemical membrane effects of psychotropics are of interest.

  • As part of a whole-cell, it complements molecular research strategies.

  • A paradigm shift in psychopharmacological research may be the final outcome.

Abstract

There is an urgent need for the introduction of novel and better (i.e., improved risk-benefit profile) compounds for the treatment of major psychiatric disorders, in particular mood and psychotic disorders. However, despite increased societal awareness and a rising public and professional demand for such agents from patients and physicians, the pharmaceutical industry continues to close down its psychopharmacology research facilities in reaction to the lack of success with the search for new psychotropics. It is high time to stop this untoward trend and explore “new” lines of investigation to solve the current crisis in psychopharmacological research. In line with the prevailing molecular view in drug research in general, also in psychopharmacology mechanistic explanations for drug effects are “traditionally” looked for at the level of molecular targets, like receptors and transporters. Also, more recent approaches, although using so-called systems- and function-based approaches to model the multidimensional characteristics of psychiatric disorders and psychotropic drug action, still emphasize this search strategy for new therapeutic leads by identification of single molecules or molecular pathways. This “psychomolecular gaze” overlooks and disregards the fact that psychotropic agents usually are highly hydrophobic and amphipathic/amphiphilic agents that, in addition to their interaction with membrane-bound proteins in the form of e.g. receptors or transporters, also interact strongly with the lipid component of cellular membranes. Here we suggest to develop a program of systematic, whole-cell level based, investigation into the role of these physical-chemical cellular membrane interactions in the therapeutic action of known psychotherapeutics. This complementary yet conceptually different approach, in our opinion, will complement drug development in psychopharmacology and thereby assist in overcoming the current crisis. In this way the “old” physical theory of drug action, which antedates the current, primary molecular, paradigm may offer “new” options for lead discovery in psychopharmacological research.

Keywords

(Max 6) psychopharmacology
Psychotropics
Membrane lipids
Drug action
Explanatory gap
Psychiatric disease

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