Substance P

This article provides a brief overview of the history of substance P from i ts discovery in the 1930s to the present day. The development of substance P receptor agonists and antagonists, and mon recently the employment of tra nsgenic mice, provide a framework to explore the functional role of substan ce P. Chronic inflammation and pain are associated with a number of disease s, and it has been proposed that substance P, released from primary afferen t nerve endings play a role in these conditions. Recent developments with s ubstance P antagonists have demonstrated the importance of substance P in s everal models of disease that span from asthma to chronic bronchitis; from cystitis, inflammatory bowel disease to migraine; emesis, depression, pain and seizures. Advancements in the knowledge of the role of substance P, its agonists and antagonists could provide clinical solutions for a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.