Membranes are the boundaries of cells that divide the inside and the outside of the cell. These barriers prevent inner molecules from leaking out of the cell and unwanted molecules from diffusing in. For transport purposes, they contain specific transport systems (membrane receptors) that allow the cell to accept concrete molecules and remove unwanted ones. The small molecules can be cytokines, growth factors, hormones, nutrients, neurotransmitters, and many others. Membrane receptors are differentiated into three various classes: the G-protein coupled receptors, ion channel linked receptors, and enzyme-linked receptors. They represent important molecular targets for medicinal chemistry research.

Membrane Receptor Ligands Library contains 1242 small ligands, some representative molecules are given below: Risperidone, 5-HT2 receptor blocker, D2 receptor antagonist; VU0071063, ATP dependent potassium channel activator; CU-T12-9, TLR1/2 antagonist; LY354740, mGlu2/3 receptor agonist.

Related terms: 5-Hydroxytryptamine receptor, adrenoceptor, adenosine, dopamine, acetylcholine, histamine, metabotropic glutamate, cannabinoid receptor