Open AccessPlasma Endothelin Levels: a Meaningless Number?
Author(s) -
Alberto Morganti,
Ivana Marana,
Flavio Airoldi,
Cristina Alberti,
Barbara Nador,
Simone Palatresi
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1533-4023
pISSN - 0160-2446
DOI - 10.1097/00005344-200000002-00006
Subject(s) - medicine , endothelin 1 , angiotensin ii , renin–angiotensin system , endothelin receptor , blood pressure , circulatory system , endocrinology , plasma renin activity , hypoxia (environmental) , pulmonary artery , cardiology , chemistry , receptor , organic chemistry , oxygen
Endothelin (ET)-1 is a potent vasoactive peptide which is mostly secreted toward the vessel wall and the circulatory levels of which are quite low; for these reasons changes in plasma ET-1 may be difficult to detect even after the application of strong stimuli, which, in theory, should profoundly alter its production. We have examined the effects of a number of such stimuli and found that in humans the only one which consistently increased plasma ET-1 was the exposure to hypobaric hypoxia; moreover under these circumstances the increments in plasma ET-1 were correlated with the changes in pulmonary systolic pressure, suggesting a role of circulating ET-1 in the adaptation of pulmonary vessels to high altitude. In contrast no consistent changes of ET-1 were observed in response to sympathetic activation induced either by exposure to cold, standing, reduction in blood pressure and blood withdrawal. In response to angioplasty of renal artery stenosis a concomitant reduction in plasma ET-1 and angiotensin II (AngII) was observed in patients who, prior to angioplasty, had a high degree of activation of the renin system, supporting the possibility that in these specific conditions AngII may actually stimulate ET-1 production in vivo.