Development of Adenosine A2A Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: A Recent Update and Challenge

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with significant unmet medical needs. The current dopamine-centered treatments aim to restore motor functions of patients without slowing the disease progression. Long-term usage of these drugs is associated with diminished efficacy, motor fluctuation, and dyskinesia. Furthermore, the nonmotor features associated with PD such as sleep disorder, pain, and psychiatric symptoms are poorly addressed by the dopaminergic treatments. Adenosine receptor A_2A antagonists have emerged as potential treatment for PD in the past decade. Here we summarize the recent work (2015-2018) on adenosine receptor A_2A antagonists and discuss the challenge and opportunity for the treatment of PD.