AzTrials
AzTrials

PainEarly Phase 1NCT05275751

Mechanisms of Human Heat Perception - Involvement of TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPM3

A Early Phase 1 study testing TRPA1-inhibitor, TRPV1-inhibitor and TRPM3-inhibitor in people with Pain, run by Medical University of Vienna at 1 site in Austria.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Animal studies suggest that the ion channels TRPV1, TRPA1 and TRPM3 are the relevant heat sensors. This study aims to validate these findings in humans. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Pain
What is being tested?
TRPA1-inhibitor, TRPV1-inhibitor and TRPM3-inhibitor
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
51 participants
Where
1 siteAustria
Study dates
13 Jun 2022to 30 Nov 2022
Phase
Early Phase 1
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 70 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age between 18 and 70 years
  • Full legal capacity
  • To ensure an equal number of each sex in the study population, only volunteers of one sex will be included as soon as the number of subjects with the other sex has reached half of the calculated sample size.

Who cannot join

  • Participant of another study, ongoing or within the last 4 weeks
  • Medication intake (except contraception) or drug abuse
  • Female subjects: Positive pregnancy test or breastfeeding
  • Body temperature above 38°C, diagnostically verified
  • Known allergic diseases, in particular asthmatic disorders and skin diseases, known allergic reactions to citrus fruits (but excluding food intolerances).
  • Sensory deficit, skin disease or hematoma of unknown origin in physical examination of the test site
  • Symptoms of a respiratory tract infection (Covid-19 related criterion)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Austria1 site
  • Medical University of Vienna

    Vienna, 1090

Other trials in Austria

About this study

Official title: Human Heat Sensation - a Single-group, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Adaptive, Full-factorial Crossover Trial

Animal studies suggest that the ion channels TRPV1, TRPA1 and TRPM3 are the relevant heat sensors. This study aims to validate these findings in humans.

Read the detailed description

Surprisingly, it is still not fully understood how humans perceive heat pain. There are several heat-sensitive ion channels whose manipulation in animals resulted in a more or less pronounced phenotype. However, complete blockade of heat sensation in animals has only recently been achieved. In triple knockout mice lacking TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPM3, it was recently shown that only in the absence of all three receptors heat perception is largely abolished. Although the authors were unable to elucidate the underlying mechanism of this redundancy, the redundancy appears to have evolutionary value for protection against burns. In addition, recent evidence suggests that TRPV1 plays a role as a first-line defense against heat injury, i.e., that it encodes noninjurious heat injury in humans.

The goal of this study is to test whether the redundant functions of TRPV1, TRPA1 and TRPM3 observed in mice with respect to heat perception also apply to humans. More broadly, we want to understand which receptors enable humans to perceive heat pain. The study also aims to test if a chloride channel is involved in heat perception.

Design: Cross-over study with a Williams design group, 16 treatments incl. a placebo control.

Conditions
Pain
Being tested
TRPA1-inhibitor, TRPV1-inhibitor, TRPM3-inhibitor, Placebo, Chloride-channel inhibitor
Keywords
Psychophysics, Human physiology, Sensory neuron, TRP channels, Heat perception
Medical subject headings
Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • TRPA1-inhibitorDrug

    Also called Specific antagonist of the TRPA1 channel

    Pharmacological inhibition of TRPA1 during intradermal injection of hot synthetic interstitial fluid

  • TRPV1-inhibitorDrug

    Also called Specific antagonist of the TRPV1 channel

    Pharmacological inhibition of TRPV1 during intradermal injection of hot synthetic interstitial fluid

  • TRPM3-inhibitorDrug

    Also called Specific antagonist of the TRPM3 channel

    Pharmacological inhibition of TRPM3 during intradermal injection of hot synthetic interstitial fluid

  • PlaceboDrug

    Also called No antagonist

    No pharmacological intervention

  • Chloride-channel inhibitorDrug

    Also called Specific inhibitor of a chloride channel

    Pharmacological inhibition of a chloride channel during intradermal injection of hot synthetic interstitial fluid

Study groups in NCT05275751
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Hot injection without TRP-channel inhibitionPlacebo comparatorPain induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes.
Receives: Drug: Placebo
Hot injection with TRPA1-inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPA1 is blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPV1-inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPV1 is blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPM3-inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPM3 is blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPA1- and TRPV1-inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPA1 and TRPV1 are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPA1- and TRPM3-inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPA1 and TRPM3 are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPM3- and TRPV1-inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPM3 and TRPV1 are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPA1-, TRPV1 and TRPM3-inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPA1, TRPV1 and TRPM3 are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPA1-, TRPM3- and chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPA1, TRPM3 and a chloride channel are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor; Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPV1-, TRPM3- and chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPV1, TRPM3 and a chloride channel are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor; Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPA1- and chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPA1 and a chloride channel are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor; Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPV1- and chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPV1 and a chloride channel are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor; Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPV1-, TRPA1, TRPM3- and chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPV1, TRPA1, TRPM3 and a chloride channel are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor; Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPM3- and chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPM3 and a chloride channel are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPM3-inhibitor; Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor
Hot injection with TRPV1-, TRPA1, and chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while TRPV1, TRPA1, and a chloride channel are blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: TRPA1-inhibitor; Drug: TRPV1-inhibitor; Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor
Hot injection with chloride channel inhibitionExperimentalPain is induced by an increasingly hot intradermal injection up to 52°C over 2 minutes, while a chloride channel is blocked pharmacologically by an antagonist dissolved in the hot fluid (synthetic interstitial fluid). The antagonist(s) have sufficient concentration to reliably block the channel. The total dose is in the range of a microdose trial.
Receives: Drug: Chloride-channel inhibitor

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. HPI(50-52) - Heat pain inhibition in the range between 50°C and 52°C

    'Heat pain inhibition between 50 and 52 °C', abbreviated HPI(50-52). A value of 0% would indicate that for a given injection there was no inhibition between 50 and 52 °C, i.e. that the injection was equal to a heated control injection without substance. In contrast, a value of 100% would indicate that there was complete inhibition and the injection was as indistinguishable from the injection at room temperature.

    Of note, pain is rated during the application of the test substances. There are 2 experimental days with injections, separated by a few days, resulting in a time frame of 4 days on average.

    The principle of AUC calculations from pain ratings during injections is described in Heber et al. 2020 (PMID: 32107360 DOI: 0.1097/j.pain.0000000000001848)

    Measured: Through study completion, on average 4 days.

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. HPI - Heat pain inhibition

    'Heat pain inhibition between room temperature and 52 °C', abbreviated HPI. A value of 0% would indicate that for a given injection there was no inhibition, i.e. that the injection was equal to a heated control injection without substance. In contrast, a value of 100% would indicate that there was complete inhibition and the injection was as indistinguishable from the injection at room temperature.

    Of note, pain is rated during the application of the test substances. There are 2 experimental days with injections, separated by a few days, resulting in a time frame of 4 days on average.

    The principle of AUC calculations from pain ratings during injections is described in Heber et al. 2020 (PMID: 32107360 DOI: 0.1097/j.pain.0000000000001848)

    Measured: Through study completion, on average 4 days.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted11 Mar 2022
  2. Study start13 Jun 2022
  3. Primary completion30 Nov 2022
  4. Study completion30 Nov 2022

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Early Phase 1
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Model description
Factorial: There are 4 treatments (TRPV1-, TRPA1-, TRPM3- and chloride channel inhibition). These will be applied in all possible combinations (16). Each healthy volunteer will receive 8 of these 16 combinations in a sequence defined by a Williams square (Hinkelmann, K., and Kempthorne, O. (2005). Design and Analysis of Experiments Vol. 2 - Advanced Experimental Design (Wiley)) Randomized: Volunteers will be randomly assigned to a pre-specified sequence. Placebo-controlled: One of the 16 combinations includes none of the three treatments, i.e., can be regarded as placebo control. Adaptive: Due to the complex study design, a priori assumptions about the distribution and correlation of data could not be made reliably. Therefore, after 16 volunteers, the responsible bio-statistician will simulate how much more patients are necessary to detect the a priori defined effect size with the until then observed data
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
51 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05275751
Sponsor's protocol ID
EK Nr: 1152/2020
Status last verified
Mar 2023
First submitted
22 Feb 2022
Last updated
17 Mar 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: All raw data will be shared with other researches upon reasonable request

Publications

  • Chubanov V, Grimm C, Hill K, Schaefer M, Kottgen M, Storch U, Mederos Y Schnitzler M, Kudrina V, Erbacher A, Gudermann T. Physiological functions and pharmacological targeting of transient receptor potential channels. Pharmacol Rev. 2025 Nov;77(6):100089. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmr.2025.100089. Epub 2025 Sep 13.

    PubMed 41118703

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Early Phase 1 study testing TRPA1-inhibitor, TRPV1-inhibitor and TRPM3-inhibitor in people with Pain, run by Medical University of Vienna at 1 site in Austria.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Mar 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Austria. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Early Phase 1 (sometimes called Phase 0) studies give a very small amount of a treatment to a few people, mainly to see how the body handles it.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

HPI(50-52) - Heat pain inhibition in the range between 50°C and 52°C (time frame: Through study completion, on average 4 days.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05275751, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Mar 2023.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in