Identification of potential therapeutic targets in the extracellular matrix associated to hypertension-induced vascular remodeling

• Grant number: 16/03771-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: June 28, 2016
• End date: June 27, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Silvia Lacchini
• Grantee: Silvia Lacchini
• Host Investigator: Rhian Touyz
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Glasgow, Scotland

Abstract

Hypertension is recognized as an important vascular disease, leading to the injury of target organs, and to structural and functional changes in the arterial wall. These vascular changes include the different cell types and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The vascular ECM is critical to ensure the mechanical properties of the arteries, as well as participate in cell function and regulation or in itself organization, revealing a very dynamic character of its structure. The vascular wall will undergo remodeling during the genesis and stabilization of hypertension, leading to alteration of vascular function and in important target organs such as heart, kidney and brain. It then becomes important to understand how the balance between matrix proteins occurs in developing a hypertensive state in small and large arteries. If the functional and structural changes in the arterial wall depend on proper organization of its molecules, it is essential to understand how this organization changes in the course of the establishment of hypertension. This idea opens up the prospect of identifying potential therapeutic targets to ensure the ECM quality or facilitate the reversal of its composition in the arterial remodeling induced by hypertension. This study aims to identify vascular ECM proteins which can be used as therapeutic targets for the improve or reversal of hypertension-induced vascular wall remodeling. (AU)