New targets for treating high blood pressure September 12, 2016 Source: WuXi PharmaTech Recently, researchers from the University of Bristol and Afferent Pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom have jointly discovered a new strategy for the treatment of hypertension. Their strategy for treating hypertension is not to target a common target in the heart or kidney, but to turn to the carotid body in the neck. Their findings are published in the latest issue of Nature, Nature Medicine. Hypertension is one of the most important causes of death in the world. One-third of people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure. For adults over 40 years of age, for every 10 mm Hg of diastolic blood pressure, the risk of death from heart disease doubles. However, for such a worldwide serious health problem, in the last 13 years, only one new drug for the treatment of hypertension was introduced in 2007. The side effects of existing drugs and the resistance of patients to drugs have also become important factors limiting the efficacy. Therefore, controlling hypertension remains a clinically unmet medical need. The carotid body is located at the branch of the carotid artery in the neck. Although it has only one rice grain size, it is an important organ for the body to monitor the blood levels of chemicals including oxygen. When the level of oxygen in the blood drops, the carotid body is activated and sends a signal to the brain to increase breathing rate and blood pressure. In the hypertensive model of hypertensive patients and rats, the sympathetic response due to the activity of the carotid body is abnormally elevated. The researchers believe that this is due to excessive sensitivity of the nerve cells in the carotid body, caused by excessive excitement after receiving signals from the chemical receptors. Therefore, if the excitability of the carotid body can be reduced, it is expected to control the blood pressure level. In this study, the researchers found that the 嘌呤P2X3 receptor (Purinergic P2X3 receptor) was five times higher in the carotid body of rats with hypertension than normal rats. The 嘌呤P2X3 receptor is an ion channel with ATP as a ligand, which can regulate the sensitivity of afferent nerves, and ATP is one of the neurotransmitters that mediate the response of carotid body to hypoxia. When the researchers took a specific P2X3 inhibitor in rats with high blood pressure, they found that the excitability of the rat carotid body was reduced, the activity of the sympathetic nervous system was decreased, and the blood pressure of the rats was also significantly decreased. . In hypertensive patients, the researchers also found a significant increase in P2X3 levels in the carotid body. This means that inhibitors targeting P2X3 may have a blood pressure lowering effect in hypertensive patients. The author of the article, Professor Julina Paton, said: "This treatment for carotid body may be the first innovative treatment for hypertension in 15 years." Dr. Angus Nightingale, one of the authors of the article, added: "We have some special tests to check the excitability of carotid bodies in patients with hypertension. I hope that in the near future, we will be able to conduct clinical trials and overexcitement in the carotid body. The efficacy of inhibition of P2X3 receptors is detected in hypertensive patients." Hearing Aid,Hearing Assist,Hearing Aid Devices,In Ear Hearing Aids Shenzhen Sunshine Technology Co.,Ltd , https://www.yatwinsz.com