Multiple cellular proteins and cellular systems

The term Multiple cellular proteins and cellular systems is a generic classification used in pharmacological databases, such as ChEMBL, to describe therapeutic agents that do not interact with a single, discrete molecular target (ChEMBL Database, 2024). This designation is typically applied to drugs with broad polypharmacology, where the therapeutic or toxic effects result from the simultaneous modulation of numerous proteins, signaling pathways, or structural components within a cell (Hopkins, A. L., 2008, Nature Chemical Biology). Common examples include non-selective cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, which damage DNA or multiple enzymes, and general anesthetics, which affect a wide array of ion channels and membrane proteins to induce a systemic state of unconsciousness (Uptodate, 2023). Because this entry aggregates a vast and often undefined range of biological activities, it is considered an incorrect or placeholder target for the purposes of specific drug discovery. It serves to highlight the complexity of agents whose mechanisms are systemic or involve a high degree of proteomic promiscuity rather than localized molecular binding.

Other names

Multi-targetNon-specific cellular targetsPolypharmacological targetsSystemic targetsUnclassified cellular targets

Broad-spectrum modulation of multiple cellular pathways, proteins, and physiological systems through non-specific or polypharmacological interactions.