N30 Pharma’s drugs target nitric oxide reductase (NOR), the most important of which is s-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) an enzyme of central importance in human health and disease.
GSNOR is a selective enzyme that breaks down s-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), the most abundant low molecular weight source of the human body’s nitric oxide.
GSNO is long known to be a potent inhibitor of inflammation. GSNO positively affects vascular and airway smooth muscle tone, supports receptor function, promotes organ regeneration and plays a role in the control of breathing. Inhibition of GSNOR increases the levels of endogenous GSNO.
GSNO exists to serve endogenous NO-based signaling. NO-based signaling is physiologically important for protein nitrosation and sGC/cGMP effects on smooth muscle and other cellular systems.
GSNOR inhibitors shift the body’s nitric oxide pool to GSNO, a stable, natural source of nitric oxide. N30 Pharma’s approaches differ from nitric oxide ‘mimetics’ (such as PDE5 inhibitors), exogenous nitric oxide donors, or efforts to increase constituative nitric oxide synthesis because N30 Pharma’s GSNOR inhibitors conserve stable GSNO.
N30 Pharma drug candidates are potent, long lasting, and can be administered by a variety of routes and modes, including oral, injectable, inhaled, and topical.
N30 Pharma’s first GSNOR inhibitor entered clinical testing in September 2010 and is currently in Phase 2 testing.