Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 11, Issue 17, 2011

With 462 reviews over the past decade, Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels arguably represent one of today's most extensively reviewed pharmacological targets. The vanilloid (capsaicin) receptor TRPV1 itself has been subject to 271 reviews and was featured in several books since its molecular cloning in 1997. One may ask, somewhat sceptically, why to add another review to this pile? My answer is two-fold. First, our Read More

Following the cloning and characterization of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a growing body of research has identified the important role of TRPV1 and related channels in diverse physiological functions including temperature transduction and pain signalling. As a result, there has been a great deal of interest by the pharmaceutical industry to develop small molecule modulators of the activity of these cha Read More

Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) cation channels participate in several processes of vital importance in cell and organism physiology, and have been demonstrated to participate in the detection of sensory stimuli. The thermo TRP's reviewed: TRPV1 (vanilloid 1), TRPM8 (melastatin 8) and TRPA1 (ankyrin-like 1) are known to integrate different chemical and physical stimuli such as changes in temperature and sensing differe Read More

TRPV1 has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for pain as well as a broad range of other conditions such as asthma or urge incontinence. The identification of resiniferatoxin as an ultrapotent ligand partially able to dissect the acute activation of TRPV1 from subsequent desensitization and the subsequent intense efforts in medicinal chemistry have revealed that TRPV1 affords a dramatic landscape of opportunities for p Read More

In primary sensory neurons, the capsaicin receptor TRPV1 functions as a molecular integrator for a broad range of seemingly unrelated chemical and physical noxious stimuli, including heat and altered pH. Indeed, TRPV1 is thought to be a major transducer of the thermal hyperalgesia that follows inflammation and tissue injury as this response is impaired in TRPV1-deficient mice. Following the molecular cloning of TRPV1 in Read More

The idea of selectively targeting nociceptive transmission at the level of the peripheral nervous system is attractive from multiple perspectives, particularly the potential lack of non-specific (non-targeted) CNS side effects. Out of the multiple TRP channels involved in nociception, TRPV1 is a strong candidate based on its biophysical conductance properties and its expression in inflammation-sensitive dorsal root ganglion neur Read More

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a non-selective cation channel gated by noxious heat, vanilloids and extracellular protons. TRPV1 acts as an important signal integrator in sensory nociceptors under physiological and pathological conditions including inflammation and neuropathy. Because of its integrative signaling properties in response to inflammatory stimuli, TRPV1 agonists and antagonists are pred Read More

The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1(TRPV1) channel has been a topic of great interest, since its discovery in 1997. It is a homotetrameric non-selective cation channel predominantly expressed in a population of sensory neurons and its involvement in different modalities of pain has been extensively studied. However, TRPV1 has also been shown to be expressed in non-sensory neurons and non-neuronal cells. TRPV1 Read More

The vanilloid subfamily of transient receptor potential (TRPV) ion channels serves critical functions in sensory signaling in specialized cells and intact organisms ranging from yeast to primates. As thermosensors, chemosensors, and/or mechanosensors, these channels monitor the local environment and integrate and respond to multiple stimuli distinctively. More than a decade of research on the founding member of the Read More

TRPV4 belongs to the TRPV subfamily of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels. This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the discovery of this polymodal ion channel which is activated by a variety of stimuli including warm temperatures, hypotonicity and endogenous lipids. Coupled with a widespread tissue distribution, this activation profile has resulted in a large number of disparate physiological functions for TRPV4 Read More

TRPA1 is a member of a superfamily of non-selective cation channels that is known to be involved in multiple physiological functions. TRPA1 is activated by a broad spectrum of chemical irritants and endogenous inflammatory compounds. An emerging role for TRPA1 in mediating pain and inflammation raises the possibility that compounds targeting TRPA1 might have significant therapeutic potential. This review discusses t Read More

TRPM8 belongs to the TRPM Melastatin subfamily of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels. Activated by cool temperatures and mimetic ligands, such as menthol and icilin, TRPM8 has been shown to play a role in thermoreception and is expressed in peripheral nerves. TRPM8 is also expressed in other tissues which are not exposed to temperature fluctuations, such as the prostate. The recent advancement of a TRPM Read More

Release of somatostatin into the circulation from the activated TRPV1-expressing nociceptors revealed by antidromic stimulation of dorsal roots in the rat pinpointed to a novel potential drug target on these nociceptors. The review summarizes the functional, biochemical and pharmacological evidence for a novel somatostatin-mediated counterregulatory antiinflammatory/antinociceptive “sensocrine” function in rats and guine Read More