Symptomatic treatment effect of sodium channel blockers

This work builds on our earlier studies
Nav1.8 is a sodium ion channel that in humans is encoded by the SCN10A gene. Nav1.8 is expressed specifically in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), in unmyelinated, small-diameter sensory neurons called C-fibres and is involved in the pain pathway called nociception. C-fibres can be activated by noxious thermal or mechanical stimuli and thus can carry pain messages. During EAE and MS this channel gets expressed in the brain and appears to be involved in causing symptoms.T he discrete locations of Nav1.8 in sensory neurons of the DRG may be the key factor in therapeutic targets for the development of new analgesics and to treat chronic pain.

In this study they try and make some drugs, but do not hold your breath that this drug will be arriving to MS soon as at dose of 1g/kg could means a 70g tablet, But maybe they have better drugs in the cupboard or should we say maybe Pfizer has in the cupboard (PF is a Pfizer code). However pharma will be saying thanks very much lets make some 1.8 specific compounds that can be used in humans...maybe they have already. Is this why Biogen just coughed up over $600,000 for a company that makes a Nav1.7 drug and presumably they have other sodium channel blockers in their armoury.

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