[HTML][HTML] ROCK inhibition as potential target for treatment of pulmonary hypertension

TL Montagnoli, JS da Silva, SZ Sudo, AD Santos… - Cells, 2021 - mdpi.com
TL Montagnoli, JS da Silva, SZ Sudo, AD Santos, GF Gomide, MPL de Sá, G Zapata-Sudo
Cells, 2021mdpi.com
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a cardiovascular disease caused by extensive vascular
remodeling in the lungs, which ultimately leads to death in consequence of right ventricle
(RV) failure. While current drugs for PH therapy address the sustained vasoconstriction, no
agent effectively targets vascular cell proliferation and tissue inflammation. Rho-associated
protein kinases (ROCKs) emerged in the last few decades as promising targets for PH
therapy, since ROCK inhibitors demonstrated significant anti-remodeling and anti …
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a cardiovascular disease caused by extensive vascular remodeling in the lungs, which ultimately leads to death in consequence of right ventricle (RV) failure. While current drugs for PH therapy address the sustained vasoconstriction, no agent effectively targets vascular cell proliferation and tissue inflammation. Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCKs) emerged in the last few decades as promising targets for PH therapy, since ROCK inhibitors demonstrated significant anti-remodeling and anti-inflammatory effects. In this review, current aspects of ROCK inhibition therapy are discussed in relation to the treatment of PH and RV dysfunction, from cell biology to preclinical and clinical studies.
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