Design of Soluble Compounds for Optical Control of Tetrameric P-Loop Ion Channels

Abstract The photopharmacology of ion channels is a rapidly developing area. One reason for paying special attention to the design of photoswitchable ligands for ion channels is that the channels control fast neurophysiological processes, and their ability to be rapidly and locally modulated by light is very important. In the photopharmacology of ion channels, existing drugs are usually employed to design photochromic analogs through the incorporation of a photochromic moiety. At present, photochromic compounds are designed for many channels belong to the superfamily of so-called P-loop channels. Photoswitchable drugs differ in their activities, photosensitivity, selectivity, and mechanisms of action. This paper provides an overview of the available compounds and the design of their structures.