Multiple endogenous receptors and signaling pathways

The term "Multiple endogenous receptors and signaling pathways" is a collective descriptor used in pharmacology to indicate that a drug or substance does not have a single, specific molecular target. Instead, it interacts with a broad array of physiological receptors and intracellular signaling networks to produce its therapeutic effect (Hopkins, A. L., Nature Chemical Biology, 2008). This designation is often associated with polypharmacology, where the clinical efficacy of a treatment arises from the integrated modulation of multiple biological pathways rather than the inhibition or activation of a single protein (Peters, J. U., Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2013). Common examples of agents described this way include medical gases like oxygen or complex botanical extracts that influence systemic homeostasis and cellular communication across various tissues. Because it lacks a specific molecular identity or UniProt accession, it is not classified as a discrete therapeutic target in standard drug discovery databases. The use of this term highlights the complexity of systems biology, where drugs can have pleiotropic effects that are difficult to attribute to a single mechanism of action (Guaman-Ortiz et al., 2017). Consequently, this entry is considered a descriptive category for multi-target activity rather than a specific, validated target for drug development.

Other names

PolypharmacologyMulti-target signalingNetwork pharmacology targetsPleiotropic signaling pathways

Simultaneous modulation of multiple physiological receptors and intracellular signaling cascades.