Some interesting observations have been made on how immune
system can modulate blood pressure. First, Guzik et al reported that mice deficient in B and T cells
(RAG1-/-) have attenuated blood pressure response to angiotensin II infusion.
This group further defined, by adoptive transfer, that T cells mediate the
hypertensive response to angiotensin II.
Similarly, Crowley et al reported a similar reduction in blood
pressure to angiotensin II in mice with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
(SCID). Furthermore, he showed SCID mice are able to excrete more sodium in the
urine during angiotensin II infusion.These intriguing results could offer a
role for anti-inflammatory modulation in the treatment of hypertension in the
future.
As you can see the field of hypertension research continues
to expand. I only highlighted a few of
the novel studies that are being investigated in the research community. Other areas of intensive investigation are in
the vascular system, adrenal, oxidative stress, cardiovascular and renal to
name a few. When all of the exciting research , hopefully new treatments for
hypertension will be developed soon.
Matthew Sparks, MD
No comments:
Post a Comment