[Progress in sodium channelopathies and biological functions of voltage-gated sodium channel blockers]

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), which are widely distributed in the excitable cells, are the primary mediators of electrical signal amplification and propagation. They play important roles in the excitative conduction of the neurons and cardiac muscle cells. The abnormalities of the structures and functions of VGSCs can change the excitability of the cells, resulting in a variety of diseases such as neuropathic pain, epilepsy and arrhythmia. At present, some voltage-gated sodium channel blockers are used for treating those diseases. In the recent years, several neurotoxins have been purified from the venom of the animals, which could inhibit the current of the voltage-gated sodium channels. Usually, these neurotoxins are compounds or small peptides that have been further designed and modified for targeted drugs of sodium channelopathies in the clinical treatment. In addition, a novel cysteine-rich secretory protein (CRBGP) has been isolated and purified from the buccal gland of the lampreys (Lampetra japonica), and it could inhibit the Na+ current of the hippocampus and dorsal root neurons for the first time. In the present study, the progress of the sodium channelopathies and the biological functions of voltage-gated sodium channel blockers are analyzed and summarized.