Fabre's F15845 can protect heart cells from damage

A compound designed to prevent chest pains in heart patients has shown promising results in animal studies, say scientists. In the second issue  of the British Journal of Pharmacology to be published by  Wiley-Blackwell, researchers from the Centre de Recherche Pierre Fabre  in France, show that the novel compound F15845 has anti-angina activity  and can protect heart cells from damage without the unwanted side  effects often experienced with other drugs.

Because F15845 does not interfere with heart function, as do some  conventional drugs such as beta blockers, it could be given as part of a  combination therapy. "It's completely different from other anti-angina  drugs which directly interact with the function of the heart. So the  idea is to do a co-administration with conventional heart drugs such as  beta blockers," says lead author of the study, Bruno Le Grand from the  Fabre research center at Castres.

The drug works by blocking excess influxes of sodium into heart cells  through "gate" proteins called sodium channels. High amounts of sodium  in heart cells are associated with low oxygen levels, which cause angina  and can, in turn, lead to the build up of toxic concentrations of  calcium that are lethal to cells. A number of drugs that target sodium  channels can block the influx, but they act universally on heart cells  and can sometimes cause further heart irregularities. F15845  specifically targets the sodium channels that are thought to cause the  most damage, those responsible for what is known as the persistent  sodium current, which results in permanent excess sodium influx.