Novel charged sodium and calcium channel inhibitor active against neurogenic inflammation

Abstract

Voltage-dependent sodium and calcium channels in pain-initiating nociceptor neurons are attractive targets for new analgesics. We made a permanently charged cationic derivative of an N-type calcium channel-inhibitor. Unlike cationic derivatives of local anesthetic sodium channel blockers like QX-314, this cationic compound inhibited N-type calcium channels more effectively with extracellular than intracellular application. Surprisingly, the compound is also a highly effective sodium channel inhibitor when applied extracellularly, producing more potent inhibition than lidocaine or bupivacaine. The charged inhibitor produced potent and long-lasting analgesia in mouse models of incisional wound and inflammatory pain, inhibited release of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from dorsal root ganglion neurons, and reduced inflammation in a mouse model of allergic asthma, which has a strong neurogenic component. The results show that some cationic molecules applied extracellularly can powerfully inhibit both sodium channels and calcium channels, thereby blocking both nociceptor excitability and pro-inflammatory peptide release.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Nov 25, 2019
Source ID
10.7554/elife.48118

Entities

People

  • Aakanksha Jain
  • Bruce P. Bean
  • Clifford J. Woolf
  • Han-xiong Bear Zhang
  • Jinbo Lee
  • Laurel M. Heckman
  • Masakazu Kotoda
  • Maud Pascal
  • Michelino Puopolo
  • Nick A Andrews
  • Pin W Liu
  • Sebastien Talbot
  • Seungkyu Lee
  • Sooyeon Jo
  • Thomas Jacquemont

Organizations

  • Boston Children's Hospital
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • Harvard Medical School
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • Stony Brook University School of Medicine
  • Université de Montréal

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Chemistry

Readers

  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
  • Neurotrauma and Rehabilitation Medicine.