International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Pharmacology of Free Fatty Acid Receptors and Their Allosteric Modulators Manuel Grundmann 1,* , Eckhard Bender 2, Jens Schamberger 2 and Frank Eitner 1 1 Research and Early Development, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Bayer AG, 42096 Wuppertal, Germany;
[email protected] 2 Drug Discovery Sciences, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Bayer AG, 42096 Wuppertal, Germany;
[email protected] (E.B.);
[email protected] (J.S.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: The physiological function of free fatty acids (FFAs) has long been regarded as indirect in terms of their activities as educts and products in metabolic pathways. The observation that FFAs can also act as signaling molecules at FFA receptors (FFARs), a family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), has changed the understanding of the interplay of metabolites and host responses. Free fatty acids of different chain lengths and saturation statuses activate FFARs as endogenous agonists via binding at the orthosteric receptor site. After FFAR deorphanization, researchers from the pharmaceutical industry as well as academia have identified several ligands targeting allosteric sites of FFARs with the aim of developing drugs to treat various diseases such as metabolic, (auto)inflammatory, infectious, endocrinological, cardiovascular, and renal disorders. GPCRs are the largest group of transmembrane proteins and constitute the most successful drug targets in medical history. To leverage the rich biology of this target class, the drug industry seeks alternative approaches to address GPCR signaling. Allosteric GPCR ligands are recognized as attractive modalities because Citation: Grundmann, M.; Bender, of their auspicious pharmacological profiles compared to orthosteric ligands. While the majority of E.; Schamberger, J.; Eitner, F.