TRPV1: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Type 2 Diabetes and Comorbidities?

Dorte X Gram, Jens J Holst, Arpad Szallasi

    25 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    With an estimated 422 million affected patients worldwide in 2016, type 2 diabetes (T2D) has reached pandemic proportions and represents a major unmet medical need. T2D is a polygenic disease with a chronic, low-grade inflammatory component. Second-generation transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) antagonists are potent anti-inflammatory agents with proven clinical safety. In rodent models of T2D, TRPV1 blockade was shown to halt disease progression and improve glucose metabolism. Thus, we propose that TRPV1 antagonists merit further study as novel therapeutic approaches to potentially treat T2D and its comorbidities. T2D is being increasingly recognized as a disease with a chronic, low-grade inflammatory component; in preclinical models, elimination of this inflammatory response improves glucose homeostasis and halts disease progression. T2D is a heterogeneous disease, so a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in drug development may not be feasible (elicits the need for personalized medicine). Novel antidiabetic agents that not only return blood glucose to near normal levels but also treat comorbidities such as obesity and hyperlipidemia at the same time are needed. We posit that TRPV1 antagonists may serve as putative antidiabetic agents to treat T2D; current clinical trials are investigating this possibility.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalTrends in Molecular Medicine
    Volume23
    Issue number11
    Pages (from-to)1002-1013
    Number of pages12
    ISSN1471-4914
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2017

    Keywords

    • Journal Article
    • Review

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