scholarly journals Role of the Immune System in Hypertension

2017 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 1127-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Rodriguez-Iturbe ◽  
Hector Pons ◽  
Richard J. Johnson

High blood pressure is present in more than one billion adults worldwide and is the most important modifiable risk factor of death resulting from cardiovascular disease. While many factors contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension, a role of the immune system has been firmly established by a large number of investigations from many laboratories around the world. Immunosuppressive drugs and inhibition of individual cytokines prevent or ameliorate experimental hypertension, and studies in genetically-modified mouse strains have demonstrated that lymphocytes are necessary participants in the development of hypertension and in hypertensive organ injury. Furthermore, immune reactivity may be the driving force of hypertension in autoimmune diseases. Infiltration of immune cells, oxidative stress, and stimulation of the intrarenal angiotensin system are induced by activation of the innate and adaptive immunity. High blood pressure results from the combined effects of inflammation-induced impairment in the pressure natriuresis relationship, dysfunctional vascular relaxation, and overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. Imbalances between proinflammatory effector responses and anti-inflammatory responses of regulatory T cells to a large extent determine the severity of inflammation. Experimental and human studies have uncovered autoantigens (isoketal-modified proteins and heat shock protein 70) of potential clinical relevance. Further investigations on the immune reactivity in hypertension may result in the identification of new strategies for the treatment of the disease.

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Ostrovsky ◽  
F. R. Papsin ◽  
A. G. Gornall

For several weeks after partial constriction of one renal artery, the fate of this "clipped" kidney seems to exert a determining influence on blood pressure. Rats that remained hypertensive throughout the experiment almost invariably had clipped kidneys averaging 0.16 to 0.22% of body weight. Below 0.1%, this kidney was usually quite atrophic, and its presence was consistent with falling or normal blood pressure. The untouched kidney in such rats was, on the average, heavier in the hypertensive than in the normotensive animals. Since the latter also had less renal tissue on the clipped side, it appears that factors leading to high blood pressure stimulated hypertrophy beyond the level provoked by renoprival factors. In rats on a high salt intake, 5 μg/day of D-aldosterone for 3 months stimulated significant true renal hypertrophy in the absence of a rise in blood pressure. Such hypertrophy was more pronounced in similar rats that had been getting 250 μg DOCA/day for 3 months but were also normotensive. Rats that developed hypertension on this latter regimen had still heavier kidneys. Renal hypertrophy appears to be a prehypertensive phenomenon which persists and can become even more pronounced in hypertension. The highest levels of renal hypertrophy were usually associated with significant adrenal hypertrophy. Endocrine functions may be involved in renal hypertrophy. This concept is discussed in relation to a phospholipid "renin inhibitor" recently isolated from dog and hog kidneys.


Physiology ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-177
Author(s):  
R Di Nicolantonio ◽  
T Imai ◽  
K Murakami ◽  
Y Yamori

Nearly one in five adults in acculturated societies has abnormally high blood pressure. Newly emerging techniques in molecular biology offer the possibility of not only determining the role of genetic factors in its etiology but also identifying early predisposed individuals. A more targeted drug treatment may also follow.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3479
Author(s):  
Kyuyoung Han ◽  
Yoon Jung Yang ◽  
Hyesook Kim ◽  
Oran Kwon

Hypertension is associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease and mortality. The interplay between dietary intake—especially sodium intake—and high blood pressure highlights the importance of understanding the role of eating patterns on cardiometabolic risk factors. This study investigates the relationship between a modified version of the Recommended Food Score (RFS) and hypertension in 8389 adults aged 19–64 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2015. A dish-based, semi-quantitative, 112-item food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intakes. Modified RFS (mRFS) is based on the reported consumption of foods recommended in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet modified for Korean foods. High blood pressure included hypertension and prehypertension, also known as stage 1 hypertension. Men and women with the highest quintile of mRFS had a 27.2% (OR: 0.728, 95% CI: 0.545–0.971, p-trend = 0.0289) and 32.9% (OR: 0.671, 95% CI: 0.519–0.867, p-trend = 0.0087) lower prevalence of high blood pressure than those with the lowest quintile of mRFS, respectively. Our finding suggests that a higher mRFS may be associated with a lower prevalence of high blood pressure among the Korean adult population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 919
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Forte ◽  
Maria Casagrande

Introduction: Cognitive functions play a crucial role in daily functioning. Unfortunately, some cognitive abilities decline in the process of healthy aging. An increasing body of evidence has highlighted the role of lifestyle habits and cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, in increasing the risk of cognitive decline. Surprisingly, although hypertension is a modifiable risk factor for cerebrovascular damage, the role of hypertension on cognitive impairment development is not still clear. Several key questions remain unresolved, and there are many inconsistent results in studies considering this topic. This review is aimed to systematically analyze the results found by the studies that investigated whether high blood pressure, in both hypertensive and healthy people, is related to cognitive performance. Furthermore, it points to evaluate the role of age in this relationship. Method: The review process was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. Restrictions were made, selecting the studies in English and published in peer-review journals, including at least one cognitive measure and blood pressure measurement. Studies that included participants with medical conditions, dementia, psychiatric disorders, strokes, and brain injury were excluded. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were analyzed separately. Finally, blood pressure measured at young life (18–39 years), midlife (age 40–64 years), elderly (65–74 years), and old age (≥75 years) were considered. Results: The review allows 68 studies to be selected, which include 154,935 participants. The results provided evidence of an adverse effect of exposure to high blood pressure on cognitive performance. High blood pressure in midlife was linked with poorer cognitive functioning; this evidence was found in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. However, this association declines with increasing age and tends to become inconsistent. In older people, the relationship between blood pressure and cognitive performance is non-linear, highlighting a beneficial effect of high blood pressure on cognition. Conclusions: Despite some limitations, this review showed that cardiovascular and neuro-cognitive systems do not operate in isolation, but they are related. Blood pressure can be considered an early biomarker of cognitive impairment, and the necessity of early blood pressure measurement and control was underlined.


Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Drummond ◽  
Zachary L. Mitchell ◽  
Nader G. Abraham ◽  
David E. Stec

Heme oxygenase (HO) plays an important role in the cardiovascular system. It is involved in many physiological and pathophysiological processes in all organs of the cardiovascular system. From the regulation of blood pressure and blood flow to the adaptive response to end-organ injury, HO plays a critical role in the ability of the cardiovascular system to respond and adapt to changes in homeostasis. There have been great advances in our understanding of the role of HO in the regulation of blood pressure and target organ injury in the last decade. Results from these studies demonstrate that targeting of the HO system could provide novel therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of several cardiovascular and renal diseases. The goal of this review is to highlight the important role of HO in the regulation of cardiovascular and renal function and protection from disease and to highlight areas in which targeting of the HO system needs to be translated to help benefit patient populations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela G Neuman ◽  
Mihai Voiculescu ◽  
Radu M Nanau ◽  
Yaakov Maor ◽  
Ehud Melzer ◽  
...  

The present review includes translational and clinical research that characterize non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Clinical and experimental evidence led to the recognition of the key toxic role played by lipotoxicity in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. The current understanding of lipotoxicity suggests that organ injury is initiated by the generation of oxidative metabolites and the translocation of gut-derived endotoxin. These processes lead to cellular injury and stimulation of the inflammatory responses mediated through a variety of molecules. The injury progresses through impairment of tissue regeneration and extracellular matrix turnover, leading to fibrogenesis and cirrhosis. Several cell types are involved in this process, predominantly stellate cells, macrophages and parenchymal cells. In response to inflammation, cytokines activate many signaling cascades that regulate fibrogenesis. This examination brings together research focusing on the underlying mechanisms of injury. It highlights the various processes and molecules that are likely involved in inflammation, immune modulation, and fibrogenesis in the liver. We searched electronic databases (Medline, Embase) for this review. This integrative work investigates different aspects of liver damage and possible repair. We aim to (1) determine the immuno-pathology of liver damage due to steatosis, (2) suggest diagnostic markers of NASH, (3) examine the role of behaviour in the development of NASH, and (4) develop common tools to study steatosis-induced effects in clinical studies. Special accent is put on co-morbidities with renal and neuropsychological disorders. Moreover, we review the evidence in literature on the role of moderate alcohol consumption in individuals that present NAFLD/NASH.Key Words: behavior, diet, imaging, non-alcoholic fatty liver, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, laboratory markers.This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see “For Readers”) may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue’s contents page.


1983 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Exequiel Chatelain

1. To determine the possible role of arterial cyclic AMP in the pathogenesis of hypertensive vascular hypertrophy and hyperplasia, the changes in the level of this nucleotide were studied during the development of renal hypertension in rats with aortic ligation between the renal arteries. 2. A twofold increase in the cyclic AMP level of the thoracic aorta was observed in 9-day hypertensive rats when compared with sham-operated controls. At this time the total amounts of DNA and collagen were unchanged, although a marked increase in arterial fibrous protein was already present. 3. Arterial cyclic AMP remained significantly elevated in the thoracic aorta of 30-day hypertensive animals. At this time the hypertensive vascular alterations had reached completion as shown by the abnormal accumulation of collagen, DNA and non-fibrous protein. 4. Contrary to the events taking place in the thoracic aorta, a marked decrease in cyclic AMP was present in the abdominal portion, which was protected from high blood pressure by the aortic ligature. in this segment decreased cyclic AMP coexisted with an unchanged collagen content and a diminution in the contents of DNA and non-fibrous protein. 5. Thus a marked increase in arterial cyclic AMP precedes the initiation of DNA replication and collagen accumulation in vascular territories subjected to high blood pressure. These studies suggest the participation of this nucleotide in the vascular growth induced by hypertension.


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