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Aldosterone Mediates Cardiac Fibrosis in the Setting of Hypertension

  • Adrenal and Nervous System Mechanisms (S Oparil, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Cardiac remodeling is a deleterious consequence of arterial hypertension. This remodeling results from cardiac transcriptomic changes induced by mechanical and hormonal factors. Angiotensin II and aldosterone often collaborate in pathological situations to induce hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes, vascular inflammation, perivascular and interstitial fibrosis, and microvascular rarefaction. Experimental models of transgenic mice overexpressing renin in liver, leading to increased plasma angiotensin II and severe hypertension, and mice overexpressing aldosterone-synthase in cardiomyocytes, leading to a doubling of intracardiac aldosterone concentration have shown that cardiac fibrosis in the heart depends on a balance between pro-fibrotic (TGF-ß, galectin-3) and anti-fibrotic (BNP, ANP) factors. Recent studies using cell-specific deletion of the mineralocorticoid receptor indicate that its activation in macrophages is a key step in the development of cardiac fibrosis in the setting of hemodynamic or hormonal challenges. This review focuses on the impact of inappropriate stimulation of aldosterone in the development of cardiac fibrosis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Inserm, Université Paris-Diderot, the Fondation de France, and the Société Française d’Hypertension Artérielle (SFHTA).

Conflict of Interest

Feriel Azibani declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Loubina Fazal declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Christos Chatziantoniou declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Jane-Lise Samuel declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Claude Delcayre declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM U942 & Université Paris-Diderot, Hôpital Lariboisière, 41 Boulevard de la Chapelle, 75475, Paris cedex 10, France

    Feriel Azibani, Loubina Fazal, Jane-Lise Samuel & Claude Delcayre

  2. INSERM U702 & UMPC, Paris, France

    Christos Chatziantoniou

  3. APHP, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris, France

    Jane-Lise Samuel

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  1. Feriel Azibani
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  2. Loubina Fazal
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Correspondence to Claude Delcayre.

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Azibani, F., Fazal, L., Chatziantoniou, C. et al. Aldosterone Mediates Cardiac Fibrosis in the Setting of Hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rep 15, 395–400 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-013-0354-3

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