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Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters
Published on: September 27, 2012
The role of clock genes in pharmacology
Georgios K Paschos1, Julie E Baggs, John B Hogenesch
1Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19104, USA. gpaschos@mail.med.upenn.edu
Abstract:
The physiology of a wide variety of organisms is organized according to periodic environmental changes imposed by the earth's rotation. This way, a large number of physiological processes present diurnal rhythms regulated by an internal timing system called the circadian clock. As part of the rhythmicity in physiology, drug efficacy and toxicity can vary with time. Studies over the past four decades present diurnal oscillations in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. On the other hand, diurnal variations in the availability and sensitivity of drug targets have been correlated with time-dependent changes in drug effectiveness. In this review, we provide evidence supporting the regulation of drug kinetics and dynamics by the circadian clock. We also use the examples of hypertension and cancer to show current achievements and challenges in chronopharmacology.
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