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Endothelins in health and disease

Rahman Shah1

  • 1Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

European Journal of Internal Medicine
|June 19, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a key peptide in cardiovascular regulation and disease. While ET-1 antagonists show promise for pulmonary hypertension, their efficacy in heart failure requires further investigation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Endothelins (ETs) are potent vasoconstrictor peptides with diverse physiological roles.
  • Endothelin-1 (ET-1), the primary cardiovascular isoform, acts via ET(A) and ET(B) receptors.
  • ET-1 contributes to basal vascular tone and is implicated in various cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of ET-1 in cardiovascular function and disease.
  • To evaluate the therapeutic potential of ET-1 antagonists.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of endothelin physiology and pharmacology.
  • Analysis of clinical trial data for ET-1 antagonists in cardiovascular diseases.

Main Results:

  • ET-1 antagonists are effective in treating primary pulmonary hypertension.
  • Clinical trials indicate disappointing results for ET-1 antagonists in heart failure.

Conclusions:

  • The endothelin system is a viable therapeutic target for specific cardiovascular conditions.
  • Further clinical trials are necessary to ascertain the benefits of ET system modulation in other diseases.

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