Role of vascular inflammation in induction of hypertension and therapeutic role of plant-derived terpenes
Image credit: wjjpsAbstract
Hypertension is multifactorial and a serious chronic cardiovascularcondition which affects the majority of population all over the world.Inflammation is a protective mechanism in response to infection orinjury to the cells and maintains homeostasis within the body.However, sustained robust inflammation can cause vasoconstriction,provoking hypertension. The aetiology of high blood pressure iscomplex, and its exact mechanism is still yet to be discovered.However, we have tried to propose a general outlook of howinflammation induces hypertension. During injury, the innate immunesystem gets activated and releases pro-hypertensive cytokines andTNF-α. On further stimulation, it leads to the activation of adaptive immune response andreleases pro-inflammatory mediators resulting into low-grade inflammation leading towardsincreased blood pressure and damage to end-organs. The immune mediated forms ofhypertension can provide a hypothesis that may explain how an immune response that istriggered by the central nervous system would cause hypertension. Angiotensin-II, amodulator of blood pressure, can access CNS via circumventricular organs to activatecirculating T-cells during vascular inflammation. ROS mediated generation of inflammatoryresponse is also a major contributor to hypertension. Terpenes are plant derived secondarymetabolites that have shown their role in many biological processes such as plant growth,development, reproduction and defence. They are considered as a potent therapeutic agentagainst hypertension due to their vasorelaxant and anti-inflammatory properties.
