Epilepsy drug shows promise in slowing joint degeneration in osteoarthritis (Cheap carbamazepine)

Medical Xpress / Yale University / Nature ^ | Jan. 3, 2024 | Stephen Waxman et al

[ConservativeMind]

Researchers have identified a drug target that may alleviate joint degeneration associated with osteoarthritis, a debilitating condition that afflicts as many as 30 million people in the United States alone.

Pain relievers and lifestyle changes, such as exercise and reduced excess weight, have long been the therapies most commonly used to treat the joint stiffness and pain caused by degenerative disease, but there is a pressing need for therapies that can prevent joint breakdown that occurs in osteoarthritis.

It is known that specialized proteins known as sodium channels found in cell membranes produce electrical impulses in "excitable" cells within muscles, the nervous system, and the heart. In previous research, Stephen G. Waxman identified the key role of one particular sodium channel, called Nav1.7, in the transmission of pain signals.

Now, the labs of Chuan-Ju Liu and Waxman have found that the same Nav1.7 channels are also present in non-excitable cells that produce collagen and help maintain the joints in the body.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is a degenerative disease caused by the breakdown of cartilage that eases friction between the joints. It occurs most commonly in the hands, hips, and knees.

In the new study, the researchers deleted Nav1.7 genes from these collagen-producing cells, significantly reducing joint damage in two osteoarthritis models in mice.

They also demonstrated that drugs used to block Nav1.7—including carbamazepine, a sodium channel blocker currently used to treat epilepsy and trigeminal neuralgia—also provided substantial protection from joint damage in the mice.

[ConservativeMind]

Carbamazepine also goes by the name of Tegretol

It looks to be under $30 for a month’s prescription.

[ConservativeMind]

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[Slicksadick]

My wife takes huge doses for TN. It’s brutal in large amounts.

[metmom]

That’ll soon be axed.

Not enough profit in it and it actually works.

Big pharma can’t stand the thought of someone actually getting better.

[sauropod]

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