JTC-801 is an

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioi ...

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...

drug used in scientific research. JTC-801 is a selective antagonist for the

nociceptin receptor The nociceptin opioid peptide receptor (NOP), also known as the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) receptor or kappa-type 3 opioid receptor, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''OPRL1'' (opioid receptor-like 1) gene. The nociceptin receptor ...

, also known as the ORL-1 receptor. This was the fourth opioid receptor to be discovered and is still the least understood. The nociceptin receptor has complex effects which are involved in many processes involved in pain and inflammation responses, and activation of this receptor can either increase or reduce pain depending on dose. Drugs acting at the noiciceptin receptor may influence the effects of traditional analgesics such as

NSAID Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are members of a therapeutic drug class which reduces pain, decreases inflammation, decreases fever, and prevents blood clots. Side effects depend on the specific drug, its dose and duration of ...

s, μ-opioid agonists, and

cannabinoids Cannabinoids () are several structural classes of compounds found in the cannabis plant primarily and most animal organisms (although insects lack such receptors) or as synthetic compounds. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tet ...

. JTC-801 is an orally active drug that blocks the nociceptin receptor and produces analgesic effects in a variety of animal studies, and is particularly useful for

neuropathic pain Neuropathic pain is pain caused by damage or disease affecting the somatosensory system. Neuropathic pain may be associated with abnormal sensations called dysesthesia or pain from normally non-painful stimuli ( allodynia). It may have continuo ...

and

allodynia Allodynia is a condition in which pain is caused by a stimulus that does not normally elicit pain. For example, bad sunburn can cause temporary allodynia, and touching sunburned skin, or running cold or warm water over it, can be very painful. It i ...

associated with nerve injury.

References

Synthetic opioids Quinolines Benzamides Aromatic amines Phenol ethers Nociceptin receptor antagonists {{analgesic-stub

See also

References