New experimental drug to combat hypertension
An international research team led by the Rey Juan Carlos University has demonstrated the beneficial effects of a new compound derived from melatonin for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with high blood pressure.
Irene Vega
High blood pressure or hypertension is widespread throughout the world. This pathology causes changes in the structure and function of the arteries, which become narrower and stiffer. As a result, blood flow to tissues including the heart, brain and kidneys is impeded and can cause myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke or kidney failure, which are the leading causes of death in the world.
The INVASC research group at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) has conducted research into new drugs that control hypertension and reduce damage to its target organs. The new compound, synthesized by researchers at the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry (IQM-CSIC), called ITH13001, was derived from melatonin, a hormone produced by the body that has direct antioxidant properties. “Among the mechanisms involved in hypertension are chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, which contribute to the cardiac and vascular changes that characterize this pathology,” explains Raquel Hernantz, a researcher at URJC and co-author of the study published in the journal. Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapy. Additionally, according to the researcher, “Hypertension causes cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, and thickening of the heart wall can cause heart failure, which is an important risk factor for premature cardiac death. In the present work, we observed that ITH13001 prevents these cardiac changes.”
Experimental treatment with potential clinical application
This study was conducted in a mouse model of hypertension with short-term treatment with ITH13001 (for 14 days). “We observed that this drug prevents vascular stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, a deterioration in arterial dilatation capacity, which is predictive of future cardiovascular events,” explains the URJC researcher.
In this work, ITH13001 was observed to lower blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular changes associated with hypertension through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, the good results obtained allow us to consider this compound as a good candidate for the treatment of this pathology and conduct additional studies to confirm its long-term effect.
URJC researchers belong to the Networked Biomedical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV). Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Imperial College LondonInstitute of Medicinal Chemistry (IQM-CSIC) and Aarhus University of Denmark.
In addition, the authors of this work have filed a patent (P-08794) for the use of ITH13001 for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders associated with high blood pressure.