Vascular Actions of Aldosterone

Aldosterone exerts direct effects on the vascular system by inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, hypertrophic remodeling, fibrosis, and endothelial dysfunction. Aldosterone exerts its effects through genomic and nongenomic pathways in a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)-dependent or independent manner. Other aldosterone receptors such as GPR30 have been identified. A tight relation exists between the aldosterone and angiotensin II pathways, as well as with the endothelin-1 system. There is a correlation between plasma levels of aldosterone and cardiovascular risk. Recently, an increasing body of evidence has underlined the importance of aldosterone in cardiovascular complications associated with the metabolic syndrome, such as arterial remodeling and endothelial dysfunction. Blockade of MR is an increasingly used evidence-based therapy for many forms of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes mellitus. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel