Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Signalling as a Pain Target: Bench, Bedside and Back-Translation

Authors

Andrew J Shepherd
Andrew Sc Rice
Maree T Smith

Publication Date

12-1-2023

Journal

Current Opinion in Pharmacology

Abstract

Translating promising preclinical pain relief data for novel molecules from drug discovery to positive clinical trial outcomes is challenging. The angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptor is a clinically-validated target based upon positive proof-of-concept clinical trial data in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia. This trial was conducted because AT2 receptor antagonists evoked pain relief in rodent models of neuropathic pain. EMA401 was selected as the drug candidate based upon its suitable preclinical toxicity and safety profile and good pharmacokinetics. Herein, we provide an overview of the discovery, preclinical and clinical development of EMA401, for the alleviation of peripheral neuropathic pain.

Keywords

Humans, Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2, Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Blockers, Neuralgia, Benzhydryl Compounds

DOI

10.1016/j.coph.2023.102415

PMID

38041933

PMCID

PMC11789660

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

2-3-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Published Open-Access

yes