An updated patent review of TRPA1 antagonists (2020 - present).

Abstract

Introduction: TRPA1 is a nonselective calcium channel, a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily, also referred to as the 'irritant' receptor, being activated by pungent and noxious exogenous chemicals as well as by endogenous algogenic stimuli, to elicit pain, itching, and inflammatory conditions. For this reason, it is considered an attractive therapeutic target to treat a wide range of diseases including acute and chronic pain, itching, and inflammatory airway diseases.

Areas covered: The present review covers patents on TRPA1 antagonists disclosed from 2020 to present, falling in the following main classes: i) novel therapeutic applications for known or already disclosed antagonists, ii) identification and characterization of TRPA1 antagonists from natural sources, and iii) synthesis and evaluation of novel compounds.

Expert opinion: Despite the limited number of TRPA1 antagonists in clinical trials, there is an ever-growing interest on this receptor-channel as therapeutic target, mainly due to the relevant outcomes from basic research, which unveiled novel physio-pathological mechanisms where TRPA1 is believed to play a pivotal role, for example the Alzheimer's disease or ocular diseases, expanding the panel of potential therapeutic applications for TRPA1 modulators.