Angelo Antonio Izzo

The Concise Guide to Pharmacology 2025/26 marks the seventh edition in this series of biennial publications in the British Journal of Pharmacology. Presented in landscape format, the guide provides a comparative overview of the pharmacology of drug target families. The concise nature of the Concise Guide refers to the style of presentation, being clear, accessible, and well‐structured, rather than the scope of the content, which spans approximately 500 pages. The Concise Guide summarises the key pharmacological properties of around 1900 human drug targets, and nearly 7000 interactions, involving around 4400 ligands. While the content is a substantially condensed version of the more detailed information and links available at the www.guidetopharmacology.org website, the printed guide serves as a permanent, citable, point‐in‐time record, that remains stable despite ongoing updates to the online database. The full contents of this publication can be found at https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.70234 . The Concise Guides provide expert‐curated recommendations of ‘Gold Standard’ selective pharmacological tools, available either commercially or as donations, which enable the identification of individual drug targets or families of drug targets. While the Concise Guide offers a more streamlined overview, more comprehensive information, including detailed pharmacological profiles and links to multiple online databases, is available through the Guide to Pharmacology website. The 2025/26 edition of the Concise Guide is based on material current as of mid‐2025, and supersedes all previous editions, including the 2023/24 Guide, and earlier Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC‐IUPHAR), and as such provides official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where applicable. Enzymes are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: G protein‐coupled receptors, ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors and transporters. Each section includes nomenclature guidance, concise summaries, information of the best available pharmacological tools, key references, and suggestions for further reading.

Prostaglandin (PG) G/H synthase, most commonly referred to as cyclooxygenase (COX, (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoate,hydrogen-donor : oxygen oxidoreductase) activity, catalyses the formation of PGG2 from arachidonic acid. Hydroperoxidase activity inherent in the enzyme catalyses the formation of PGH2 from PGG2. COX-1 and -2 can be nonselectively inhibited by ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, indomethacin and paracetamol (acetaminophen). PGH2 may then be metabolised to prostaglandins and thromboxanes by various prostaglandin synthases in an apparently tissue-dependent manner.

Eicosanoids are 20-carbon fatty acids, where the usual focus is the polyunsaturated analogue arachidonic acid and its metabolites. Arachidonic acid is thought primarily to derive from phospholipase A2 action on membrane phosphatidylcholine, and may be re-cycled to form phospholipid through conjugation with coenzyme A and subsequently glycerol derivatives. Oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid is conducted through three major enzymatic routes: cyclooxygenases; lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450-like epoxygenases, particularly CYP2J2. Isoprostanes are structural analogues of the prostanoids (hence the nomenclature D-, E-, F-isoprostanes and isothromboxanes), which are produced in the presence of elevated free radicals in a non-enzymatic manner, leading to suggestions for their use as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Molecular targets for their action have yet to be defined.

Octocorals have proven to be a prolific source of bioactive natural products, exhibiting a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities. Among octocorals, Pennatulaceans, commonly known as sea pens, are among the most dominant soft coral species living in benthic communities. Nonetheless, reports on bioactivity and chemical investigations of this genus are scarce. This prompted us to shed light on the pharmacological potential of the extracts of the sea pen Pennatula phosphorea, Linneus 1758, and gain an overview of its metabolome. Crude octocoral extracts, obtained with a modified Kupchan extraction protocol, were assessed for their bioactivity potential, revealing the hexanic extract to exert anti-inflammatory effects and interesting protective properties in an in vitro model of sarcopenia and in auditory HEI-OC1 cisplatin-treated cells, while the chloroformic extract was active in reducing A375 melanoma cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. An untargeted metabolomic analysis unveiled that P. phosphorea collects a wide array of glycerophospholipids and phosphosphingolipids belonging to the ceramide phosphoinositol class, which were exclusive or more abundant in the hexanic extract. Their proven anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects could demonstrate the activity shown by the P. phosphorea hexanic extract. In addition, a group of prostaglandins, eluted mainly in the chloroformic extract, were putatively annotated. Since prostanoids from marine origin have been demonstrated to exert cytotoxic and anti-proliferative properties against various cancer cell lines, the presence of PGs in the P. phosphorea chloroform extract could justify its anti-melanoma activity. This is the first report on the presence of glycerophospholipids, phosphosphingolipids, and prostaglandins, along with the identification of novel congeners, in sea pens.

Eicosanoids are 20-carbon fatty acids, where the usual focus is the polyunsaturated analogue arachidonic acid and its metabolites. Arachidonic acid is thought primarily to derive from phospholipase A2 action on membrane phosphatidylcholine, and may be re-cycled to form phospholipid through conjugation with coenzyme A and subsequently glycerol derivatives. Oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid is conducted through three major enzymatic routes: cyclooxygenases; lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450-like epoxygenases, particularly CYP2J2. Isoprostanes are structural analogues of the prostanoids (hence the nomenclature D-, E-, F-isoprostanes and isothromboxanes), which are produced in the presence of elevated free radicals in a non-enzymatic manner, leading to suggestions for their use as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Molecular targets for their action have yet to be defined.

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24 is the sixth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of approximately 1800 drug targets, and about 6000 interactions with about 3900 ligands. There is an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes almost 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point‐in‐time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.16176. In addition to this overview, in which are identified ‘Other protein targets’ which fall outside of the subsequent categorisation, there are six areas of focus: G protein‐coupled receptors, ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid‐2023, and supersedes data presented in the 2021/22, 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC‐IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.

Eicosanoids are 20-carbon fatty acids, where the usual focus is the polyunsaturated analogue arachidonic acid and its metabolites. Arachidonic acid is thought primarily to derive from phospholipase A2 action on membrane phosphatidylcholine, and may be re-cycled to form phospholipid through conjugation with coenzyme A and subsequently glycerol derivatives. Oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid is conducted through three major enzymatic routes: cyclooxygenases; lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450-like epoxygenases, particularly CYP2J2. Isoprostanes are structural analogues of the prostanoids (hence the nomenclature D-, E-, F-isoprostanes and isothromboxanes), which are produced in the presence of elevated free radicals in a non-enzymatic manner, leading to suggestions for their use as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Molecular targets for their action have yet to be defined.

Prostaglandin (PG) G/H synthase, most commonly referred to as cyclooxygenase (COX, (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoate,hydrogen-donor : oxygen oxidoreductase) activity, catalyses the formation of PGG2 from arachidonic acid. Hydroperoxidase activity inherent in the enzyme catalyses the formation of PGH2 from PGG2. COX-1 and -2 can be nonselectively inhibited by ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, indomethacin and paracetamol (acetaminophen). PGH2 may then be metabolised to prostaglandins and thromboxanes by various prostaglandin synthases in an apparently tissue-dependent manner.

Pelargonium quercetorum is a medicinal plant traditionally used for treating intestinal worms. In the present study, the chemical composition and bio-pharmacological properties of P. quercetorum extracts were investigated. Enzyme inhibition and scavenging/reducing properties of water, methanol, and ethyl acetate extracts were assayed. The extracts were also studied in an ex vivo experimental model of colon inflammation, and in this context the gene expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) were assayed. Additionally, in colon cancer HCT116 cells, the gene expression of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M (melastatin) member 8 (TRPM8), possibly involved in colon carcinogenesis, was conducted as well. The extracts showed a different qualitative and quantitative content of phytochemicals, with water and methanol extracts being richer in total phenols and flavonoids, among which are flavonol glycosides and hydroxycinnamic acids. This could explain, at least in part, the higher antioxidant effects shown by methanol and water extracts, compared with ethyl acetate extract. By contrast, the ethyl acetate was more effective as cytotoxic agent against colon cancer cells, and this could be related, albeit partially, to the content of thymol and to its putative ability to downregulate TRPM8 gene expression. Additionally, the ethyl acetate extract was effective in inhibiting the gene expression of COX-2 and TNFα in isolated colon tissue exposed to LPS. Overall, the present results support future studies for investigating protective effects against gut inflammatory diseases.

Background and Purpose: Transient receptor potential melastatin type‐8 (TRPM8) is a cold‐sensitive cation channel protein belonging to the TRP superfamily of ion channels. Here, we reveal the molecular mechanism of TRPM8 and its clinical relevance in colorectal cancer (CRC).Experimental Approach: TRPM8 expression and its correlation with the survival rate of CRC patients was analysed. To identify the key pathways and genes related to TRPM8 high expression, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were conducted in CRC patients. TRPM8 functional role was assessed by using Trpm8^−/− mice in models of sporadic and colitis‐associated colon cancer. TRPM8 pharmacological targeting by WS12 was evaluated in murine models of CRC.Key Results: TRPM8 is overexpressed in colon primary tumours and in CD326⁺ tumour cell fraction. TRPM8 high expression was related to lower survival rate of CRC patients, Wnt–Frizzled signalling hyperactivation and adenomatous polyposis coli down‐regulation. In sporadic and colitis‐associated models of colon cancer, either absence or pharmacological desensitization of TRPM8 reduced tumour development via inhibition of the oncogenic Wnt/β‐catenin signalling. TRPM8 pharmacological blockade reduced tumour growth in CRC xenograft mice by reducing the transcription of Wnt signalling regulators and the activation of β‐catenin and its target oncogenes such as C‐Myc and Cyclin D1.Conclusion and Implications: Human data provide valuable insights to propose TRPM8 as a prognostic marker with a negative predictive value for CRC patient survival. Animal experiments demonstrate TRPM8 involvement in colon cancer pathophysiology and its potential as a drug target for CRC.