Advances in the Study of PDE4 Inhibitors in Dermatological Disorders

Since the 1980s, phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE-4) has been one of the most prominent targets for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. More recently, a number of synthetic ligands targeting PDE-4 have received more attention in the academic and pharmaceutical communities and are expected to have applications in these diseases. Due to various potential side effects of PDE-4 inhibitors, there are several obstacles to the clinical translation of specific PDE-4 inhibitors from the preclinical to the clinical phase. Therefore, similar to roflumilast in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, many PDE-4 inhibitors can take up to 30 years or even longer from development to clinical application. This article is a review of the development of PDE-4 inhibitors, such as crisaborole and apremilast, for use in skin disorders.