Advances in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Volume l: Receptors contains the proceedings of the 7th International Congress of Pharmacology held in Paris, France, in 1978. The papers explore advances in the understanding of receptors, their pharmacology, and their therapeutic applications. Topics covered range from opiate receptors and their endogenous ligands to membrane receptors in eukaryotic cells. Applications of binding to pharmacological research are also discussed. This volume is comprised of 29 chapters and opens with an overview of the chemistry and biochemistry of pituitary endorphins, paying particular attention to the correlation between the analgesic potency, receptor binding properties, preferred solution conformation, and metabolic stability of natural and synthetic opioid peptides. The reader is then introduced to the biosynthesis and release of the enkephalins; opiate receptors and their endogenous ligands; denervation supersensitivity in skeletal muscle; and biochemistry and physiology of dopaminergic and beta-adrenergic receptors in mammalian central nervous system. The following chapters explore the role of guanylnucleotides in the regulation of hormonally stimulated adenylate cyclase; interactions of cholera toxin with cell membranes; problems in studying hormone receptor binding; and the mechanism of action of anti-hormones. This book will be of interest to practitioners in biosciences, pharmacology, physiology, and medicine.
