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Serelaxin: A Novel Therapeutic for Vascular Diseases
Chen Huei Leo1, Maria Jelinic1, Hooi Hooi Ng1
1School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Abstract:
Vascular dysfunction is an important hallmark of cardiovascular disease. It is characterized by increased sensitivity to vasoconstrictors, decreases in the endothelium-derived vasodilators nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2), and endothelium-derived hyperpolarization (EDH). Serelaxin (recombinant human relaxin) has gained considerable attention as a new vasoactive drug, largely through its beneficial therapeutic effects in acute heart failure. In this review we first describe the contribution of endogenous relaxin to vascular homeostasis. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the novel mechanisms of serelaxin action in blood vessels that differentiate it from other vasodilator drugs and explain how this peptide could be used more widely as a therapeutic to alleviate vascular dysfunction in several cardiovascular diseases.
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