Multiple endogenous receptors and enzymes

Multiple endogenous receptors and enzymes is a non-specific designation used in pharmacology to describe drugs that exhibit broad polypharmacology across various physiological systems. This term does not refer to a single biological entity, such as a specific protein or gene, but rather serves as a collective category for agents that interact with a wide array of targets simultaneously (DrugBank, 2024). For example, general anesthetics like propofol are often associated with this classification because they modulate GABAA receptors, glycine receptors, and various ion channels to achieve their clinical effect (StatPearls, 2023). Because this designation encompasses a diverse group of unrelated molecules, it is considered an imprecise target definition for modern drug discovery. It is typically used when the exact primary molecular target is unknown or when the drug's efficacy relies on the cumulative effect of hitting many different receptors and enzymes (PubMed, 2021).

Other names

Multi-targetNon-specific targetsPolypharmacological targetsUnspecified endogenous targets

Non-specific or multi-site modulation of various cellular proteins, including ion channels, G protein-coupled receptors, and metabolic enzymes.