XEN-D0101 is an experimental drug that was developed to treat atrial fibrillation.[when?] Xention, a biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, England, created XEN-D0101 along with other ion channel-modulating drugs.[1] XEN-D0101 is a selective antagonist of the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.5.[2] Atrial fibrillation is the main focus of Xention’s drug development, as it is the most common cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) seen in patients.[3]

XEN-D0101
Legal status
Legal status
  • Investigational
Identifiers
  • N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-[5-phenyl-4-(pyridin-2-ylmethylamino)thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2-yl]piperidine-3-carboxamide
CAS Number
PubChem CID
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC26H28N6O2S
Molar mass488.61 g·mol−1

Atrial fibrillation edit

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an arrhythmia that occurs in 1-2% of the general population.[4] AF is linked to several cardiac causes including hypertension and coronary artery disease, and AF increases the risk for stroke.[4] Current strategies to manage AF are effective but many are associated with adverse side effects.[2] Due to the irregular rhythm occurring in the atria, targeting them with antiarrhythmic drugs without affecting the ventricles would provide a desirable outcome.

Mechanism of action edit

A recognized atrial selective drug target is Kv1.5, which is found in atria but not in ventricles. Kv1.5 carries the ultra rapid delayed rectifier current known as Ikur.[3] In a normal heart, the atria depolarize and repolarize in a very organized fashion. During atrial fibrillation, this process becomes chaotic and the atrial depolarization occurs faster than it should causing the irregular heart beat and impaired atrial contraction.[5] XEN-D0101 is a Kv1.5 antagonist that selectively prolongs the atrial refractory period. By prolonging the refractory period XEN-D0101 allows the atria to fully relax and not contract prematurely. XEN-D0101 selectively increases atrial refractory period by 22% in dogs with atrial tachycardia induced electrical remodeling.[2] XEN-D0101 differs from other AF drugs in that it doesn’t effect ventricular contraction, as determined by assessing the QT interval on an echocardiogram. The QT interval represents ventricular depolarization and repolarization, and XEN-D0101 did not significantly increase the timing of this interval.

References edit

  1. ^ "Xention – Creating new medicines". Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Ford J, Milnes J, Wettwer E, Christ T, Rogers M, Sutton K, et al. (May 2013). "Human electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of XEN-D0101: a novel atrial-selective Kv1.5/IKur inhibitor" (PDF). Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. 61 (5): 408–15. doi:10.1097/FJC.0b013e31828780eb. PMID 23364608. S2CID 38577492.
  3. ^ a b Tamargo J, Caballero R, Gómez R, Delpón E (April 2009). "I(Kur)/Kv1.5 channel blockers for the treatment of atrial fibrillation". Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs. 18 (4): 399–416. doi:10.1517/13543780902762850. PMID 19335273. S2CID 72929029.
  4. ^ a b Milnes JT, Louis L, Rogers M, Madge DJ, Ford J (2008). "The Atrial Antiarrhythmic Drug XEN-D0101 Selectively Inhibits the Human Ultra-Rapid Delayed-Rectifier Potassium Current (IKur) Over Other Cardiac Ion Channels". Circulation. 118: 342–357.
  5. ^ Milnes JT, Madge DJ, Ford JW (July 2012). "New pharmacological approaches to atrial fibrillation". Drug Discovery Today. 17 (13–14): 654–9. doi:10.1016/j.drudis.2012.02.007. PMID 22370250.