The therapeutic potential of Na+ and Ca2+ channel blockers in pain management.
Chronic pain affects a large percentage of the population, representing a socio-economic burden. Current treatments are characterised by suboptimal efficacy and/or side effects that limit their use. Among several approaches to treating chronic pain, voltage-sensitive Ca(2+) and Na(+) channels are promising targets. This review evaluates the preclinical evidence that supports the involvement of these targets, with specific attention to those subtypes that appear more strictly correlated with pain generation and sustainment, as well as those compounds that modulate the activity of Ca(2+) and/or Na(+) channels that are currently in clinical development for chronic pain conditions.
Newron Pharmaceuticals, Discovery Research, Via Ludovico, Ariosto, 21, 20091 Bresso, MI, Italy. cibele.sabido-david@newron.com
Cibele
C
Sabido-David
Laura
L
Faravelli
Patricia
P
Salvati
D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology
D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers; D015222:Sodium Channels