Vascular growth factors in hypertensive state pathogenesis

Abstract

Summarizing and analyzing the information on the role of neurotrophic and growth factors in vascular pathology, arterial hypertension (AH), and organ damage (OD) pathogenesis, enables us to set new targets for treatment strategy. It is more and more evident that, besides the systems of peptide regulators (angiotensin II, endothelin-1, atrial natriuretic factors), catecholamines, etc., cardiovascular pathology pathogenesis is influenced by polypeptide growth and neurotrophic factors, participating in the complex chemical regulation process. They act as regulators of normal and pathological processes, and are directly linked with the triade “oxidative stress-inflammation-endothelial dysfunction”, that is crucial in AH and OD pathogenesis. Among these factors, the most prospective are: endothelial vascular growth factor, insulin-like growth factors, platelet growth factor, transforming growth factors, fibroblast growth factor, tumor necrosis factor. Structural and functional features of these substances, together with their role as possible mediators and/or predictors and targets in vascular pathology processes, are described in this article.

Keywords

• growth and neurothrophic factors
• vascular inflammation
• endothelial dysfunction
• arterial hypertension