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Updated: May 22, 2026

Cell-based Calcium Assay for Medium to High Throughput Screening of TRP Channel Functions using FlexStation 3
Published on: August 17, 2011
Structure-activity relationships of trimethoxybenzyl piperazine N-type calcium channel inhibitors
Hassan Pajouhesh1, Zhong-Ping Feng, Lingyun Zhang
1Zalicus Pharmaceuticals Ltd, 301-2389 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Abstract:
We previously reported the small organic N-type calcium channel blocker NP078585 that while efficacious in animal models for pain, exhibited modest L-type calcium channel selectivity and substantial off-target inhibition against the hERG potassium channel. Structure-activity studies to optimize NP078585 preclinical properties resulted in compound 16, which maintained high potency for N-type calcium channel blockade, and possessed excellent selectivity over the hERG (~120-fold) and L-type (~3600-fold) channels. Compound 16 shows significant anti-hyperalgesic activity in the spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain and is also efficacious in the rat formalin model of inflammatory pain.
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