Analgesic transient receptor potential vanilloid-1-active compounds inhibit native and recombinant T-type calcium...

T-type calcium (Ca_v 3) and transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) channels play central roles in the control of excitability in the peripheral nervous system and are regarded as potential therapeutic pain targets. Modulators that either activate or inhibit TRPV1-mediated currents display analgesic properties in various pain models despite opposing effects on their connate target, TRPV1. We explored the effects of TRPV1-active compounds on Ca_v 3-mediated currents.

Whole-cell patch clamp recordings were used to examine the effects of TRPV1-active compounds on rat dorsal root ganglion low voltage-activated calcium currents and recombinant Ca_v 3 isoforms in expression systems.

The classical TRPV1 agonist capsaicin as well as TRPV1 antagonists A-889425, BCTC, and capsazepine directly inhibited Ca_v 3 channels. These compounds altered the voltage-dependence of activation and inactivation of Ca_v 3 channels and delayed their recovery from inactivation, leading to a concomitant decrease in T-type current availability. The TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine potently inhibited Ca_v 3.1 and 3.2 channels (K_D  < 120 nM), as demonstrated by its slow off rate. In contrast, neither the TRPV1 agonists, Palvanil and resiniferatoxin, nor the TRPV1 antagonist AMG9810 modulated Ca_v 3-mediated currents.

Analgesic TRPV1-active compounds inhibit Ca_v 3 currents in native and heterologous systems. Hence, their analgesic effects may not be exclusively attributed to their actions on TRPV1, which has important implications in the current understanding of nociceptive pathways. Importantly, our results highlight the need for attention in the experimental design used to address the analgesic properties of Ca_v 3 channel inhibitors.