Chemical update on the potential for serotonin 5-HT6 and 5-HT7 receptor agents in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Despite the better understanding of the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and launched clinical trials, no AD-modifying treatment based on a synthetic drug has been introduced for almost twenty years. The serotonin 5-HT6 and 5-HT7 receptors turned out to be promising biological targets for modulation of central nervous system dysfunctions including cognitive impairment. Within this paper, we evaluate the pharmacological potency of both, 5-HT6R and 5-HT7R, agents in search for novel AD treatment. An overview of chemical structures of the 5-HTRs ligands with simultaneous procognitive action which have undergone preclinical and clinical studies within the last 10 years has been performed.