Open AccessProtease-Activated Receptor 2–Mediated Vasodilatation in Humans In Vivo
Author(s) -
Jonathan Robin,
Rajesh K. Kharbanda,
Peter G. McLean,
Richard O. Campbell,
Patrick Vallance
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
circulation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.795
H-Index - 607
eISSN - 1524-4539
pISSN - 0009-7322
DOI - 10.1161/01.cir.0000050620.37260.75
Subject(s) - vasodilation , medicine , proteases , receptor , pharmacology , serine protease , protease , in vivo , nitric oxide , protease activated receptor 2 , endocrinology , immunology , biology , biochemistry , enzyme , enzyme linked receptor , microbiology and biotechnology
Systemic hypotension as a consequence of vascular dysfunction is a well-recognized and important feature of critical illness. Although serine protease activation has been implicated as a cause of vascular dysfunction in systemic inflammation, the mechanism is unknown. Recently, a class of receptors with an entirely novel mechanism of action, protease-activated receptors (PARs), has been identified that would explain the link between protease activation and systemic hypotension. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that in vivo activation of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) in humans would mediate vasodilatation.