Breakthrough in medicine: Light-controlled painkillers created by scientists at RTU MIREA

Local anesthetics, the effect of which is "turned on" and "turned off" by ultraviolet light, have been developed at the Russian Technological University. The new compounds allow for targeted pain management and reduce the risk of side effects, www1.ru reported at RTU MIREA.

The drugs are created on the basis of the anesthetic etercaine, into the structure of which a photosensitive "switch" is built. In the dark, the molecule is active and blocks pain, when irradiated with light, it changes shape and loses its analgesic properties. The process is completely reversible.

Scientists have found that even small changes in the chemical structure affect the effectiveness and safety of compounds. For example, if fluorine is added to the molecule, it remains in the "off" state longer — this is safer for the patient. And if one of the fragments is replaced, the drug dissolves better and becomes less toxic. Understanding how the structure of such molecules is related to their properties will allow the creation of new generations of painkillers and antiarrhythmics with high accuracy of action, RTU MIREA emphasized.

In the future, such drugs will be able to be used in dentistry, surgery, and chronic pain therapy. Now scientists are preparing for preclinical trials.

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