conantokin-t

**Conantokin-t** is a 21-amino acid peptide isolated from the venom of the fish-hunting cone snail, *Conus tulipa*. It is part of the conantokin family, characterized by a high content of gamma-carboxyglutamate (Gla) residues. Conantokin-t acts as a potent antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), inhibiting receptor-mediated calcium influx in central nervous system (CNS) neurons. Mechanistically, it nonselectively antagonizes multiple NMDAR subunits (notably both NR2A/GRIN2A and NR2B/GRIN2B), modulating excitatory synaptic transmission via interaction with glutamate and polyamine recognition sites on the receptor[1][2][3][5][9][10]. Its peptide structure adopts an alpha-helical conformation even in aqueous solutions[6][7]. Conantokin-t, along with other conantokins, has been explored at the preclinical and early clinical stages for potential use as a neuroprotective and analgesic agent, but no approved clinical applications exist and development has been discontinued for human use due to multiple challenges in clinical translation[4].

Other names

Con-T