Nav1.8
Nav1.8 is a sodium ion channel that in humans is encoded by the SCN10A gene. Nav1.8 is a sodium channel subunit.
Nav1.8 is a tetrodotoxin (TTX)-resistant voltage-gated sodium ion channel. It is expressed specifically in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), in unmyelinated, small-diameter sensory neurons called C-fibres and is involved in the pain pathway called nociception. C-fibres can be activated by noxious thermal or mechanical stimuli and thus can carry pain messages.
The discrete locations of Nav1.8 in sensory neurons of the DRG may be the key factor in therapeutic targets for the development of new analgesics and to treat chronic pain.
Function
Voltage-gated sodium ion channels (VGSC) are essential in producing and propagating action potentials. Tetrodotoxin, a toxin found in pufferfish is able to block some VGSCs and therefore is used to distinguish the different subtypes. There are three TTX-resistant VGSC: Nav1.5, Nav1.8 and Nav1.9. Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 are both expressed in nociceptors (damage-sensing neurons). It is known that Nav1.7, Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 are located in the DRG and play an important role in maintaining chronic inflammatory pain.
