New blood pressure control found
UK scientists say they have discovered a new way to regulate blood pressure, offering hopes of new drugs to combat strokes and heart attacks.
One in four adults has high blood pressure and although powerful drugs are already available, few manage to achieve target blood pressure levels.
The pathway found in a study by King’s College London involves a process called oxidation, reports Science.
Until now, oxidation has largely been linked with harm rather than good.
Indeed, free radicals and oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide, can cause cell damage.
But they also play crucial roles in normal cell function.
Blood pressure control
Protein kinase G (PKG) is an important protein in all tissues, but in the cardiovascular system it plays a fundamental role in blood pressure regulation.
Nitric oxide produced within blood vessels is known to be crucial in this process.
But Joseph Burgoyne and colleagues at King’s College have found a novel way in which the protein PKG can be regulated independently of nitric oxide.
They discovered that oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide cause a bond to form between two amino acids which, in turn, activates PKG. This then leads to a lowering of blood pressure.
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