Discovering a new peptide CBD3 in mice that gives hope to relief chronic pain for human, the Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have reached to the conclusion that the peptide can interfere with the signals that control calcium channels which cause the pain, and it does have the side effects as the usual drugs as depression, or memory loss. It is also worth mentioning that the peptide doesn’t block the calcium channels because calcium has important role for heart rhythm.
Earlier international research has shown that the calcium channel is a key player within the pathway for pain signals. Based on work from Dr. Khanna’s laboratory, it is also accepted that an axonal protein, CRMP-2, binds to the calcium channel “acting like a remote control” to modulate transmission of excitability and pain signals, Dr. Khanna explained.Rajesh Khanna, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and his colleagues discovered the CBD3 peptide, a portion of the CRMP-2 protein, realizing that its smaller size would be beneficial in producing a synthetic version for drug development. CBD3 can be given systemically and blocks pain in a variety of acute as well as chronic pain models, he said. The novel peptide binds to the calcium channel and reduces the number of excitability signals without disrupting the beneficial global calcium flow. Upon reaching the brain, these signals are interpreted as the sensation of pain.