Endothelial dysfunction in hypertension

The endothelium can greatly influence vascular tone and structure. The main endothelium-derived factor is nitric oxide (NO), which is not only a potent vasodilator but also inhibits platelet aggregation, smooth muscle cell proliferation, monocyte adhesion and adhesion molecule expression, thus protecting the vessel wall against the development of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. In human hypertension, endothelial dysfunction has been documented in peripheral and coronary macro- and microcirculation and in renal circulation. The mechanism responsible for endothelial alteration in essential hypertensive patients appears to be the activation of an alternative pathway involving cyclooxygenase, which reduces NO availability through production of oxidative stress. In the presence of impaired NO availability a hyperpolarizing factor seems to act as a compensatory pathway to sustain endothelium-dependent relaxation. This compensatory pathway can be further depressed by the simultaneous presence of essential hypertension and hyperhomocysteinaemia, another cardiovascular risk factor causing endothelial dysfunction. Finally, reduced NO availability can increase the biological activity of endothelin-1 because, while in healthy conditions the vasoconstrictor effect of endothelin-1 is partially blunted by endothelial ETB-receptor mediated NO production, in essential hypertensive patients this protective mechanism is lacking on account of impaired NO availability. This alteration in the NO pathway could be the main mechanism through which a dysfunctional endothelium could be a promoter of atherosclerosis and thrombosis and therefore lead to cardiovascular events in essential hypertensive patients.