The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2025/26: Catalytic receptors
Stephen P H Alexander1, Doriano Fabbro2, Chloe J Peach3
1Division of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
British Journal of Pharmacology
|December 29, 2025
Summary
The Concise Guide to Pharmacology 2025/26 offers a comprehensive overview of human drug targets and their interactions. This biennial publication provides expert-curated recommendations for pharmacological tools, serving as a stable, citable record.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Drug Discovery
- Biomedical Sciences
Background:
- The British Journal of Pharmacology publishes the biennial Concise Guide to Pharmacology.
- This guide provides a comparative overview of drug target families' pharmacology.
- The 2025/26 edition is the seventh in this series.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a clear, accessible, and well-structured summary of human drug targets and their interactions.
- To offer expert-curated recommendations for selective pharmacological tools.
- To serve as a permanent, citable, point-in-time record of pharmacological information.
Main Methods:
- Summarization of key pharmacological properties for approximately 1900 human drug targets.
- Inclusion of nearly 7000 interactions involving around 4400 ligands.
- Expert curation of 'Gold Standard' selective pharmacological tools.
Main Results:
- The guide covers six major pharmacological target families: catalytic receptors, G protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, enzymes, and transporters.
- It includes nomenclature guidance, concise summaries, and information on available pharmacological tools.
- Content is based on material current as of mid-2025.
Conclusions:
- The Concise Guide to Pharmacology 2025/26 supersedes all previous editions.
- It provides official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets.
- The guide complements the comprehensive online database at www.guidetopharmacology.org.
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