Structural aspects of monoamine oxidase and its reversible inhibition.

Among the various types of amine oxidases, monoamine oxidase (MAO) is of special interest for neuropsychiatry. It appears to play a central role in several psychiatric and neurological disorders, including clinical depression and Parkinson's Disease. The purpose of this paper is to review the major structural aspects of MAO, in relation with its primary sequence (site-directed mutagenesis, chimeric constructions), secondary and three-dimensional structures. The consequences of the inhibition of monoamine oxidase are considered, mainly focusing on the new generations of reversible and selective MAO inhibitors. Recent efforts to design and develop those inhibitors are emphasized and discussed.