A sodium channel opener is a type of

drug A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...

which facilitates

ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

transmission through

sodium channel Sodium channels are integral membrane proteins that form ion channels, conducting sodium ions (Na+) through a cell (biology), cell's cell membrane, membrane. They belong to the Cation channel superfamily, superfamily of cation channels. Classific ...

s. Examples include

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919), derived ...

s, such as

aconitine Aconitine is an alkaloid toxin produced by various plant species belonging to the genus ''Aconitum'' (family Ranunculaceae), commonly known by the names wolfsbane and monkshood. Aconitine is notorious for its toxic properties. Structure and rea ...

, veratridine, batrachotoxin,

robustoxin Delta atracotoxin (δ-ACTX-Ar1, robustoxin, or robustotoxin) is a low-molecular mass neurotoxic polypeptide found in the venom of the Sydney funnel-web spider (''Atrax robustus''). Delta atracotoxin produces potentially fatal neurotoxic symptom ...

, palytoxins and

ciguatoxin image:ciguatoxin.svg, 300px, class=skin-invert-image, Chemical structure of the ciguatoxin CTX1B Ciguatoxins are a class of toxic Polycyclic compound, polycyclic polyethers found in fish that cause ciguatera. There are several different chemi ...

s alongside

insecticide Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. The major use of insecticides is in agriculture, but they are also used in home and garden settings, i ...

s like the

pyrethroids A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (''Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium'' and '' C. coccineum''). Pyrethroids are used as commercial and household insecticides. In ...

, which activate

voltage-gated sodium channel Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), also known as voltage-dependent sodium channels (VDSCs), are a group of voltage-gated ion channels found in the membrane of excitable cells (''e.g.'', muscle, glial cells, neurons, etc.) with a permeability t ...

s (VGSCs) in arthropods, and solnatide (AP301), which activates the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC).

References

{{pharmacology-stub Ion channel openers Sodium channels

See also

References