Emicerfont (GW-876,008) is a drug developed by GlaxoSmithKline which acts as a CRF-1 antagonist. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), also known as Corticotropin releasing hormone, is an endogenous peptide hormone which is released in response to various triggers such as

chronic stress Chronic stress is the physiological or psychological response induced by a long-term internal or external stressor. The stressor, either physically present or recollected, will produce the same effect and trigger a chronic stress response. There i ...

, and activates the two corticotropin-releasing hormone receptors: CRF₁ and CRF₂. This then triggers the release of corticotropin (ACTH), another hormone which is involved in the physiological response to stress. Emicerfont blocks the CRF₁ receptor, and so reduces ACTH release. It has been investigated for the treatment of

irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a "disorder of gut-brain interaction" characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain and or abdominal bloating and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms may ...

(IBS) and

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

, and while it was not effective enough to be adopted for medical use in these applications, it continues to be used for research, as the role of the CRH-ACTH system in IBS remains poorly understood.

References

Corticotropin-releasing hormone antagonists Corticotropin-releasing hormone Imidazolidinones Phenol ethers Pyrrolopyridines {{systemic-hormonal-drug-stub

See also

References