A synthetic peptide, derived from neurotoxin GsMTx4, acts as a non-opioid analgesic to alleviate mechanical and neuropathic pain through the TRPV4 channel.

ABSTRACT: Mechanical pain is one of the most common causes of clinical pain, but there remains a lack of effective treatment for debilitating mechanical and chronic forms of neuropathic pain. Recently, neurotoxin GsMTx4, a selective mechanosensitive (MS) channel inhibitor, has been found to be effective, while the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, with multiple rodent pain models, we demonstrated that a GsMTx4-based 17-residue peptide, which we call P10581, was able to reduce mechanical hyperalgesia and neuropathic pain. The analgesic effects of P10581 can be as strong as morphine but is not toxic in animal models. The anti-hyperalgesic effect of the peptide was resistant to naloxone (an μ-opioid receptor antagonist) and showed no side effects of morphine, including tolerance, motor

SUBMITTER: Ke S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12069899 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature