The neurokinin 1 receptor: a potential new target for anti-platelet therapy?

Jones, S. and Gibbins, J. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0372-5352 (2008) The neurokinin 1 receptor: a potential new target for anti-platelet therapy? Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 8 (2). pp. 114-119. ISSN 1471-4892 doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2008.01.004

Abstract/Summary

The important role of platelets in the development of arterial thrombosis and cardiovascular disease is well established. Current treatments for arterial thrombosis include anti-platelet agents such as aspirin, thienopyridines and glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitors. Despite these drugs being effective there remains a substantial unmet clinical demand for more effective therapeutic approaches, which may reflect the existence of alternative underlying regulatory mechanisms to those already targeted. Recent publications have demonstrated a key role for tachykinins in the positive feedback regulation of platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. The pro-thrombotic effects of tachykinins on platelets are mediated through the neurokinin 1 receptor, which may therefore offer a novel therapeutic drug target in the prevention and the treatment of arterial thrombosis.