Abstract
Maturation of the cardiovascular system is associated with crucial structural and functional remodeling. Thickening of the arterial wall, maturation of the sympathetic innervation, and switching of the mechanisms of arterial contraction from calcium-independent to calcium-dependent occur during postnatal development. All these processes promote an almost doubling of blood pressure from the moment of birth to reaching adulthood. This review focuses on the developmental alterations of potassium channels functioning as key smooth muscle membrane potential determinants and, consequently, vascular tone regulators. We present evidence that the pattern of potassium channel contribution to vascular control changes from Kir2, Kv1, Kv7 and TASK-1 channels to BKCa channels with maturation. The differences in the contribution of potassium channels to vasomotor tone at different stages of postnatal life should be considered in treatment strategies of cardiovascular diseases associated with potassium channel malfunction.
Highlights
Maturation of the cardiovascular system is associated with crucial structural and functional remodeling
Most studies have demonstrated that the contribution of BKCa channels to the regulation of vascular tone in systemic circulation increases with age
The data described above demonstrate that the pattern of potassium channel expression and function in arterial smooth muscle changes dramatically while the organism matures (Figure 1, Table 1)
Summary
The anticontractile influence of the vascular endothelium decreases with age [22,23] This structural and functional remodeling leads to a dramatic rise of systemic blood pressure, which almost doubles from the time of birth [18,23,24,25]. The impact of such important regulators of vascular tone as potassium channels changes during postnatal life. The present review focuses on the developmental alterations of the vasomotor role of different potassium channel families in arteries of the peripheral circulation, which play a key role in the regulation of systemic blood pressure. Developmental Alterations of Potassium Channel Functioning in Arteries of the Systemic Circulation
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