Abstract
The role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the pathogenesis of hypertension (HTN) is not clearly established. There is evidence that its circulating levels are elevated in some forms of experimental and human HTN, but this was not a consistent finding. Based on these controversial data, we tested serum levels of ET-1 and Big ET-1 (the precursor of ET-1) in patients with essential HTN, comparing the results with those of healthy normotensive controls. The levels of ET-1 and Big ET-1 were measured by ELISA. Our results in patients with essential HTN showed that the mean levels of ET-1 (5.01 ± 2.1 pg/mL) were significantly higher (F = 6.34, p = 0.0144) than the mean levels in the control group (3.2 ± 1.0 pg/mL). The levels of Big ET-1 in patients with essential HTN (0.377 ± 0.1 pmol/L) were similar to those in the control group (0.378 ± 0.07 pmol/L) and did not differ significantly (F = 0.00, p = 0.9531). These data suggest that ET-1, but not Big ET-1, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of primary HTN.
Highlights
Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide and is among the most important risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications [1]
Increased ET-1 production can contribute to arterial aging and the development of atherosclerotic changes, which are associated with increased arterial stiffness and manifestation of isolated systolic HTN
ET-1 is involved in the complex regulation of blood pressure (BP) through synergistic interactions with angiotensin II, regulates the production of catecholamines and sympathetic activity, affects renal hemodynamics and water–salt balance, and regulates baroreceptor activity and myocardial contractility
Summary
Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide and is among the most important risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications [1]. It is currently thought to be the result of disturbances in a number of neural, renal, hormonal, and vascular mechanisms regulating blood pressure (BP) [2], as crucial importance is given to the imbalance of a number of vasoactive substances [3]. In HTN, the delicate balance in the regulation of vascular tone is disturbed due to decreased bioavailability of NO and the overproduction of ET-1 [4,5]. ET-1 is a vasoactive peptide identified in 1988 by Yanagisawa and colleagues from the supernatant of porcine aortic endothelial cells (ECs). It is composed of 21 amino acids and two intrachain disulfide linkages in the molecule [6]. Vasoconstrictive action of ET-1 is mainly mediated through ETA on VSMCs, while vasodilation is mediated through ETB1 on ECs [8]
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