TRP Channels in Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease, 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The transient receptor potential (TRP) family of receptor channels is an exceptional family of receptors that responds to a wide range of cellular and environmental stimuli to influence many biological responses.

In mammals, TRP channels include 28 different proteins, which can be divided into seven subfamilies based on amino acid sequence homology (TRPA—Ankyrin, TRPC—Canonical, TRPM—Melastatin, TRPML—Mucolipin, TRPN—NO-mechano-potential (NOMP), TRPP—Polycystin, and TRPV—Vanilloid). It has been proposed that several of them can sense a variety of stimuli, including pressure, shear stress, mechanical stretch, oxidative stress, lipid environment alterations, hypertrophic signals, and inflammation products.

The TRP family was first discovered in 1969, followed by the first characterization and cloning of the nociceptive TRP channel (vanilloid receptor TRPV1) in mammalian neurons in 1997. Since then, significant knowledge has emerged related to the various families of TRP ion channels and their roles as a transducer of nociceptive signals and a regulator of cardiovascular functions, as well as their behaviour in inflammatory diseases.

Mechanistically, TRP activation has been associated with the regulation of calcium homeostasis, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, which can be translated to humans and related species in terms of mediating components in a range of cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions, especially those involving the sensation of pain (in which TRPV1 and TRPA1 are primarily involved) or thermal sensations (in which TRPV1, TRPA1, and TRPM8 are primarily involved) and those involving the sensing of metabolic influences, to which all channels are capable of contributing. Mechanistically, much still remains to be determined, with the research in some areas and diseases still at an early stage. With this in mind, this Special Issue is designed to gather cutting-edge research and allow side-by-side comparisons.

The ultimate aim is for mechanistic studies to lead to the development of new drugs to treat TRP-mediated conditions. While some established plant-derived compounds that influence TRP channels have been used therapeutically for many years (the best known is the chilli extract capsaicin, a TRPV1 agonist that depletes the sensory nerves, leading to analgesia), others have proven elusive; for example, it has been challenging to find feasible TRP antagonists for use as selective therapeutics with minimal side effects. Whilst some effective antagonists have been created (e.g., for the TRPV1 receptor), others (e.g., for the TRPA1 receptor) have been associated with lesser effects. Additionally, the breadth of activation mechanisms has led to harmful side effects from some antagonists (e.g., TRPV1) that have been difficult to limit.

For this Special Issue, we invite manuscripts addressing TRP channels, to develop our knowledge of the biological functions of TRP and novel potential therapeutic interventions (drug discovery) in cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. This can be achieved via a review or original research. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The design of novel TRP ligands and evidence of their functional relevance;
• The role of TRP channels in biological functions;
• Mechanistic studies on TRP channels;
• The role of TRP channels in cardiovascular diseases and inflammation;
• The development and testing of novel therapeutic agents.

Prof. Dr. Susan D. Brain
Dr. Soraia Katia Pereira Costa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• TRP channels
• TRP ligands
• biological functions
• new drugs
• cardiovascular diseases
• inflammation

• TRP Channels in Cardiovascular and Inflammatory Disease in Biomolecules (4 articles)