We know that, Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is a naturally occurring, ultrapotent capsaicin analog that activates the vanilloid receptor in a subpopulation of primary afferent sensory neurons involved in nociception (the transmission of physiological pain). RTX causes an ion channel in the plasma membrane of sensory neurons — the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 — to become permeable to cations, most particularly the calcium cation; this evokes a powerful irritant effect followed by desensitization and analgesia. Research is being conducted at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Pennsylvania to design a novel class of analgesics from the latex of resin spurge (Euphorbia resinifera), a cactus-like plant commonly found in Morocco that contains high concentrations of RTX. Resiniferatoxin has a rating of 16,000,000,000 on the Scoville Scale making it one of the highest rated substances known.
Now U. S. Patent and Trademark Office recently issued a patent to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services involving resiniferatoxin, or RTX, an experimental compound that represents a potential new class of drugs to alleviate the intractable pain that can occur in people with advanced cancer, severe arthritis, and other extremely chronic conditions.
