Protein / target

Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1

TRPV1Q8NER1Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
3
Approved medicines
30
Clinical trials
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Approved Drug

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Extracellular ligand-gated monoatomic ion channel activity

Primary system

Nervous system

Strongest disease association

migraine disorder

Clinical evidence · score 0.63

Therapeutic maturity

Clinically validated target

3 approved medicines against this target

Druggability

Small molecule

Open Targets tractability · Approved Drug

Clinical development

3 approved · 16 in clinical development

30 linked trials

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function

Non-selective calcium permeant cation channel involved in detection of noxious chemical and thermal stimuli (PubMed:11050376, PubMed:11243859, PubMed:11226139, PubMed:12077606). Seems to mediate proton influx and may be involved in intracellular acidosis in nociceptive neurons. Involved in mediation of inflammatory pain and hyperalgesia. Sensitized by a phosphatidylinositol second messenger system activated by receptor tyrosine kinases, which involves PKC isozymes and PCL. Activated by vanilloids, like capsaicin, and temperatures higher than 42 degrees Celsius (PubMed:37117175). Upon activation, exhibits a time- and Ca(2+)-dependent outward rectification, followed by a long-lasting refractory state. Mild extracellular acidic pH (6.5) potentiates channel activation by noxious heat and vanilloids, whereas acidic conditions (pH <6) directly activate the channel. Can be activated by endogenous compounds, including 12-hydroperoxytetraenoic acid and bradykinin. Acts as ionotropic endocannabinoid receptor with central neuromodulatory effects. Triggers a form of long-term depression (TRPV1-LTD) mediated by the endocannabinoid anandamine in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens by affecting AMPA receptors endocytosis

Subcellular location

Postsynaptic cell membraneCell projection, dendritic spine membraneCell membrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (30)

Gene Ontology

  • Cdendritic spine membrane
  • CGABA-ergic synapse
  • Cmembrane
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Cpostsynaptic membrane
  • FATP binding
  • Fcalcium channel activity
  • Fcalmodulin binding
  • Fexcitatory extracellular ligand-gated monoatomic ion channel activity
  • Fextracellular ligand-gated monoatomic ion channel activity
  • Fintracellularly gated calcium channel activity
  • Fmetal ion binding

839 aa · 95 kDa · 2 isoforms

Biological roles

Reactome v97

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Synaptic signallingUniProt · GOIon channel gatingGOLigand-gated signallingGOInhibitory neurotransmissionGOTranscriptional regulationGO
View supporting evidence

Synaptic signalling

  • ·Postsynaptic cell membrane
  • ·GABA-ergic synapse
  • ·postsynaptic membrane

Ion channel gating

  • ·excitatory extracellular ligand-gated monoatomic ion channel activity
  • ·extracellular ligand-gated monoatomic ion channel activity
  • ·temperature-gated ion channel activity
  • ·calcium ion transmembrane transport

Ligand-gated signalling

  • ·excitatory extracellular ligand-gated monoatomic ion channel activity
  • ·extracellular ligand-gated monoatomic ion channel activity
  • ·temperature-gated ion channel activity

Inhibitory neurotransmission

  • ·GABA-ergic synapse

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
View underlying pathways (1)

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Interaction neighbourhood

STRING v12.0

Proteins with the strongest functional or physical association. Node size and line weight reflect STRING confidence; hover or select a partner to inspect one association.

CALM3TRPM8CALML3CALML5TRPA1CALML4CALML6PRKACBPRKACAPRKACGTRPV1

10 strongest partners — larger node and heavier line mean higher confidence

Functional and physical associations from STRING v12.0. Only associations with this protein are drawn — partner-to-partner links are not part of this evidence.

Drugs targeting this protein

1

Whether each drug engages this protein directly or through a complex, and how many other targets are recorded for it. Direct binders with few recorded targets are listed first.

Capsaicin
Narrow target profileApprovedOpener

Vanilloid receptor opener

Appears in clinical studies involving Back pain, Pain, Myalgia, Muscle spasm

Direct interaction with this protein · Only this protein recorded as a target

ChEMBL mechanism, action type and target identity. Open Targets clinical status and indications.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically — disease associations, drugs in development, tractability and safety, from Open Targets.

Highest-confidence therapeutic associations

Diseases where a drug acting on this target has already reached clinical development.

Pain1.00

Clinical · overall 0.61

Headache0.99

Clinical · overall 0.61

migraine disorder0.99

Clinical · overall 0.63

Nasal congestion0.99

Clinical · overall 0.60

common cold0.99

Clinical · overall 0.60

Highest overall evidence

Remaining associations by Open Targets' aggregated evidence score.

Fever0.61

Clinical

arthritic joint disease0.61

Clinical

Cough0.60

Clinical

Back pain0.60

Clinical

pharyngitis0.60

Clinical

Show all associations
migraine disorder0.63
Pain0.61
Headache0.61
Fever0.61
arthritic joint disease0.61
Cough0.60
Nasal congestion0.60
common cold0.60
Back pain0.60
pharyngitis0.60

Open Targets ranks 1,274 associations for this target and we store the top 10 by aggregated score. The long tail is largely literature co-mention and RNA-expression evidence, not evidence that this target drives those diseases.

Known drugs · 19 total

ABT-102Phase 1

Chronic pain

ZUCAPSAICINApproval

Myalgia · Arthralgia · Pain

MAVATREPPhase 1

osteoarthritis · Pain

SB-705498Phase 2

rhinitis · migraine disorder · Pain

PAC-14028Phase 3

atopic eczema · rosacea · rosacea

AZD1386Phase 2

gastroesophageal reflux disease · osteoarthritis, knee · postherpetic neuralgia

ACETAMINOPHENApproval

Pain · toothache · Headache

SAF312Phase 2

Pain · overactive bladder · Ocular pain

PHE377Phase 1

Pain

DWP05195Phase 2

neuropathic pain · postherpetic neuralgia

Tractability

SM · Approved DrugSM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyAB · UniProt loc high confAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Small Molecule BinderOC · Advanced Clinical

Safety liabilities

neurotoxicity

Clinical trials

30

Trials of drugs that target this protein — reached indirectly through those drugs, so a trial listed here studies the drug, not the protein.

Show remaining trials (24)

COMPLETED · via Capsaicin · NCT02882555

WITHDRAWN · via Capsaicin · NCT00771511

COMPLETED · via Capsaicin · NCT02766517

COMPLETED · via Capsaicin · NCT00008476

ClinicalTrials.gov via the drug-target graph.

Forefront confidence

Synthesis

Our own weighting of the evidence behind each disease association. Human genetics and clinical evidence count for most; literature co-mention counts for little, because two entities sharing an abstract is not evidence that one drives the other.

migraine disorderWell supported
0.78
agreement 0.620.93
Clinical86%Literature14%

Open Targets aggregate 0.63 · 2 independent evidence families

PainWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.600.91
Clinical97%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 2 independent evidence families

HeadacheWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.600.91
Clinical97%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 2 independent evidence families

FeverWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.600.91
Clinical96%Literature5%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 2 independent evidence families

arthritic joint diseaseWell supported
0.75
agreement 0.600.91
Clinical89%Literature11%

Open Targets aggregate 0.61 · 2 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the underlying per-type scores are shown above so the calculation can be checked.

What's happening now

2

Recent activity around this target, drawn from one canonical event stream. Every item is reached through a drug that targets this protein, so each event is news about that drug rather than about the protein directly.

  1. New publication2023-07-26
    Capsaicin, The Vanilloid Receptor TRPV1 Agonist in Neuroprotection: Mechanisms Involved and Significance.

    Neurochemical research · 2023 · 42 citations · Europe PMC · via Capsaicin

  2. Regulatory approval2009-05-15

    Approval: Qutenza (EMA)

    ema · regulatory · ema · via Capsaicin

Objective event titles are shown unmodified; the event kind and significance line are derived from structured fields. Forefront AttentionEvent stream aggregating Europe PMC Regulatory filings ClinicalTrials.gov.