The Respiratory research group of the Institute of Biomedical Research of Girona (IDIBGI) and the Pneumology service of the Trueta and Santa Caterina Hospitals have published a review in the journal Antioxidants on the role of oxidative stress in pulmonary hypertension and assesses the approach of antioxidant therapy as a possible treatment. This review summarizes the contribution of oxidative stress to the pathogenesis of different types of pulmonary hypertension and suggests that antioxidant therapy could be a promising strategy to treat it.
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease characterized by elevated blood pressures and pulmonary vascular resistance. The underlying mechanisms include endothelial dysfunction, pulmonary artery remodeling, and vasoconstriction.
Several studies have shown evidence that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension. In this regard, alteration of redox homeostasis results in excessive generation of reactive oxygen species, inducing oxidative stress and consequent alteration of biological molecules.
Exacerbations in oxidative stress production can lead to alterations in nitric oxide signaling pathways, contributing to the proliferation of pulmonary arterial endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, thus inducing the development of PH.
Recently, antioxidant therapy has been suggested as a new therapeutic strategy for PH pathology. Even so, the favorable results observed in preclinical studies have not been consistently reproduced to clinical practice. Therefore, using oxidative stress as a therapeutic intervention for PH is an area that is still being explored.
The review has as first author the researcher Paula Poyatos, and has been led by the researcher Dr. Olga Tura-Ceide and the head of the Respiratory research group, Dr. Ramon Orriols, who is also the head of the Pneumology service of the Trueta and Santa Caterina Hospitals.
Reference article: Poyatos, P.; Gratacós, M.; Samuel, K.; Orriols, R.; Tura-Ceide, O. Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Therapy in Pulmonary Hypertension. Antioxidants 2023, 12, 1006.
