µ-conotoxins as leads in the development of new analgesics

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) contain a specific binding site for a family of cone shell toxins known as µ-conotoxins. As some VGSCs are involved in pain perception and µ-conotoxins are able to block these channels, µ-conotoxins show considerable potential as analgesics. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the three-dimensional structures and structure-function relationships of the µ-conotoxins, including their interaction with VGSCs. Truncated peptide analogues of the native toxins have been created in which secondary structure elements are stabilized by non-native linkers such as lactam bridges. Ultimately, it would be desirable to capture the favourable analgesic properties of the native toxins, in particular their potency and channel sub-type selectivity, in non-peptide mimetics. Such mimetics would constitute lead compounds in the development of new therapeutics for the treatment of pain.