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Extracellular vesicles as a novel diagnostic and research tool for patients with HTN and kidney disease

Uta Erdbrügger1, Thu H Le2

  • 1Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia.

American Journal of Physiology. Renal Physiology
|July 18, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) show promise as noninvasive biomarkers for hypertension (HTN) severity and early kidney damage. Further research is needed to establish optimal blood pressure targets for patients with kidney disease.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Cardiology
  • Biomarker Discovery

Background:

  • Hypertension (HTN) affects one in three US adults, increasing risks for cardiovascular disease and kidney failure.
  • Intensified blood pressure lowering may reduce mortality in kidney disease patients, but the ideal threshold is debated.
  • Accurate tools are needed for HTN diagnosis, treatment tailoring, and predicting end-organ damage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore extracellular vesicles (EVs) as noninvasive biomarkers for hypertension.
  • To assess the potential of EVs in reflecting HTN severity and pathological mechanisms.
  • To investigate EV profiles' changes with antihypertensive treatment and their role in detecting early end-organ damage.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of circulating and urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their protein and RNA cargo.
  • Evaluating EVs as potential noninvasive biomarkers for hypertension phenotypes.
  • Observing changes in EV profiles in response to antihypertensive medications.

Main Results:

  • Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their cargo hold potential for identifying novel noninvasive biomarkers in hypertension.
  • EV profiles may reflect specific pathological mechanisms across different hypertension phenotypes.
  • EVs could indicate changes with antihypertensive treatment and detect early end-organ damage.

Conclusions:

  • Extracellular vesicles offer a promising avenue for noninvasive hypertension biomarker discovery.
  • Further rigorous studies are essential to define optimal blood pressure thresholds for kidney disease and cardiovascular risk reduction.
  • EV analysis could aid in tailoring treatments and predicting outcomes in hypertensive patients with kidney disease.

Keywords:
biomarkerblood pressure thresholdextracellular vesicleshypertensionkidney damage

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