January 15, 2012
Oxidants help maintain healthy blood pressure
A study we co-funded has shown that
oxidants have a positive role in the body by helping to
regulate blood pressure.
Oxidants are a family of
molecules found naturally in the body and known to
be involved in aging and the development of cancer. They have a bad
reputation, but scientists at King's College London have shown
they can also be a force for good.
The research team, led by Professor Philip
Eaton, studied a protein called ‘protein kinase G’. They found that
this protein helps to keep blood pressure at a healthy
level – but it needs oxidants to turn it on. Mice with a
faulty version of protein kinase G – when just a single atom was
changed – developed high blood
pressure.
This brings us a step closer to understanding how blood pressure is controlled
Our Research
Advisor Dr Hélène Wilson said: “It's
not as simple
as 'oxidants are bad’ and ‘anti-oxidants are good'.
"This study in mice brings us a step closer to
understanding how blood pressure is controlled in people, showing
for the first time that oxidants play an important
role in blood pressure control in the body.
"It also highlights a potential target
for new medicines to treat high blood pressure, which is a
major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.”
The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.