Novel Therapies for the Treatment of Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain
A significant and growing body of literature has established that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a nociceptive modulator, acting as an agonist or sensitizer at several ion channels that represent pharmaceutical targets for the treatment of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. H2S is produced endogenously through only a few known pathways. In the periphery, where nociceptive signals are recognized and transmitted, the enzyme cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) is responsible for the production of H2S via catabolism of sulfur-containing substrates. In pathological conditions, increased H2S production causes activation or sensitization of various ligand-gated (TRPs) and voltage-gated (T-Type) ion channels, leading to pain signaling.
Sova is developing novel compounds that inhibit the production of H2S by blocking CSE activity. Sova’s lead compounds have excellent development profiles, including: drug-like properties, efficacy comparable or superior to pharmaceutical benchmarks, and noteworthy toxicology and safety profiles.