Recent advances in computational studies on voltage-gated sodium channels: Drug design and mechanism studies

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs/Na_vs), which control the flow of Na⁺ and affect the generation of action potentials (APs), have been regarded as essential targets for many diseases. The biological and pharmacological functions of VGSCs have been extensively studied and many efforts have been made to discover and design ligands of VGSCs as potential therapies. Here, we summarize the recent and representative studies of VGSCs from the perspective of computer-aided drug design (CADD) and molecular modeling, including the structural biology of VGSCs, virtual screening and drug design toward VGSCs based on CADD, and functional studies using molecular modeling technologies. Furthermore, we conclude the achievements that have been made in the field of VGSCs and discuss the shortcomings found in previous studies. We hope that this review can provide some inspiration and reference for future investigations of VGSCs and drug design.

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