Neuroni komuniciraju putem hemijskih glasnika, kao što je serotonin. Serotoninski transporter vraća serotonin iz sinaptičkog rascepa nazad u sinapse. Stoga on prekida dejstvo serotonina i simultano omogućava njegovu ponovnu upotrebu sa presinaptičkog neurona.[1]Transportni protein putem reciklacije serotonina regulišu njegovu koncentraciju u rascepu, ili sinapsi.
SERT premoštava ćelijsku membranu 12 puta. On pripada NE, DA, SERT familijama monoaminskih transportera. Transporteri su značajne biološke mete za agense kojima se tretiraju psihijatrijski poremećaji. Lekovi koji umanjuju vezivanje serotonina za transportere (selektivni inhibitori preuzimanja serotonina, ili SSRI), i ređe oni koji deluju na suprotan način (selektivni pojačavači preuzimanja serotonina, ili SSRE) se koriste za tretiranje mentalnih poremećaja. Oko polovine pacijenata obolelih od OCD se tretira SSRI lekovima. Fluoksetin je primer selektivnog inhibitora preuzimanja serotonina, a tianeptin je primer selektivnog pojačavača preuzimanja serotonina.
↑Tamagnan G, Alagille D, Fu X, et al. (2005). „Synthesis and monoamine transporter affinity of new 2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-[4-(substituted thiophenyl)]phenyltropanes: discovery of a selective SERT antagonist with picomolar potency”. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett.15 (4): 1131-3. DOI:10.1016/j.bmcl.2004.12.014. PMID15686927.
↑Mattson RJ, Catt JD, Denhart DJ, et al. (2005). „Conformationally restricted homotryptamines. 2. Indole cyclopropylmethylamines as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors”. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry48 (19): 6023-34. DOI:10.1021/jm0503291. PMID16162005.
↑Dalton King H, Denhart DJ, Deskus JA, et al. (2007). „Conformationally restricted homotryptamines. Part 4: Heterocyclic and naphthyl analogs of a potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor”. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett.17 (20): 5647-51. DOI:10.1016/j.bmcl.2007.07.083. PMID17766113.
↑King HD, Meng Z, Deskus JA, et al. (November 2010). „Conformationally restricted homotryptamines. Part 7: 3-cis-(3-aminocyclopentyl)indoles as potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors”. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry53 (21): 7564-72. DOI:10.1021/jm100515z. PMID20949929.
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