One man's side effect is another man's therapeutic opportunity: targeting Kv7 channels in smooth muscle disorders

Thomas Andrew Jepps, S P Olesen, I A Greenwood

34 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Retigabine is a first in class anticonvulsant that has recently undergone clinical trials to test its efficacy in epileptic patients. Retigabine's novel mechanism of action - activating Kv7 channels - suppresses neuronal activity to prevent seizure generation by hyperpolarizing the membrane potential and suppressing depolarizing surges. However, Kv7 channels are not expressed exclusively in neurones and data generated over the last decade have shown that Kv7 channels play a key role in various smooth muscle systems of the body. This review discusses the potential of targeting Kv7 channels in the smooth muscle to treat diseases such as hypertension, bladder instability, constipation and preterm labour.
Original languageEnglish
JournalBritish Journal of Pharmacology
Volume168
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)19-27
Number of pages9
ISSN0007-1188
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2013

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