Intracellular cell signaling is a well understood process. However, extracellular signals such as hormones, adipokines, cytokines and neurotransmitters are just as important but have been largely ignored in other works. They are causative agents for diseases including hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis so offer new, and often more approachable, targets for drug design. Aimed at medical professionals and pharmaceutical specialists, this book integrates extracellular and intracellular signalling processes and offers a fresh perspective on new drug targets. Written by colleagues at the same institution, but with contributions from leading international authorities, it is the result of close cooperation between the authors of different chapters. Readers are introduced to a new approach to disease causation by adipokines and toxic lipids. Heart disease, migraines, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis are approached from the perspective of prevention and treatment by alteration of extracellular signalling. Evidence is presented that the avoidance of toxic lifestyles can reduce the incidence of such illnesses and new therapeutic targets involving adipokines, ceramide and endocannabinoids are discussed.
