Table 1.

Interaction of Li with selected targets and its effects on cellular level

Target	Mechanism of Li action	Result
G proteins	Inhibition	Adenyl cyclase inhibition Inhibition of PKA Decrease in cAMP concentration
PI3K	Activation	Akt-1 activation GSK3β inhibition
IMP IPP	Inhibition	IP3 inhibition (leading to Ca2+ regulation) DAG inhibition (leading to PKC inhibition) GSK3β inhibition
Akt/PKB	Activation	GSK3β inhibition Inhibition of pro-apoptotic factors Decrease in expression of p53 and Bax proteins
GSK3β	Inhibition	Glycogen synthase activation Nuclear factor-κB activation Inhibition of pro-apoptotic factors
CREB	Inhibition	Increased expression of BDNF Increased expression of dynorphins

Akt/PKB, RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase; BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; CREB, cAMP response element-binding protein; DAG, diacylglycerol; GSK3β, glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta; IMP, inosine monophosphate; IP3, inositol trisphosphate; IPP, inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase; PKA, protein kinase A; PKC, protein kinase C