[Frequency coding in intercellular communication based on a generalized chronopharmacology].

An important function of biological rhythms is to support the frequency encoding of intercellular communications. Two examples of this phenomenon are discussed, namely, communication by cyclic AMP pulses in the slime mold Dictyostelium, and the pulsatile secretion of gonadotropic hormones. The existence of an optimal frequency of stimulation in these two systems possesses clinical implications, as attested by the use of pulsatile hormonal therapies in endocrinology. More generally, the pulsatile administration of some drugs, at the appropriate frequency, could maximize their physiological effect. Such a generalized chronopharmacology would take into account the kinetic characteristics of desensitization and resensitization in target cells, and would not be limited to the sole consideration of circadian rhythms within the organism.