ENaC in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension: Kidney and Beyond

Purpose of Review The main goal of this article is to discuss the role of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in extracellular fluid and blood pressure regulation. Recent Findings Besides its role in sodium handling in the kidney, recent studies have found that ENaC expressed in other cells includi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current hypertension reports 2020-08, Vol.22 (9), p.69, Article 69
Main Authors: Pitzer, Ashley L., Van Beusecum, Justin P., Kleyman, Thomas R., Kirabo, Annet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blood Pressure
Cardiology
Endothelial Cells - metabolism
Epithelial Sodium Channels
Family Medicine
General Practice
Humans
Hypertension
Inflammation and Cardiovascular Diseases (A Kirabo
Inflammation and Cardiovascular Diseases (A Kirabo, Section Editor)
Internal Medicine
Kidney - metabolism
Kidneys
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Metabolic Diseases
Nephrology
Primary Care Medicine
Section Editor
Sodium
Sodium Chloride, Dietary - adverse effects
Sodium Chloride, Dietary - metabolism
Topical Collection on Inflammation and Cardiovascular Diseases
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Purpose of Review The main goal of this article is to discuss the role of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in extracellular fluid and blood pressure regulation. Recent Findings Besides its role in sodium handling in the kidney, recent studies have found that ENaC expressed in other cells including immune cells can influence blood pressure via extra-renal mechanisms. Dendritic cells (DCs) are activated and contribute to salt-sensitive hypertension in an ENaC-dependent manner. We discuss recent studies on how ENaC is regulated in both the kidney and other sites including the vascular smooth muscles, endothelial cells, and immune cells. We also discuss how this extra-renal ENaC can play a role in salt-sensitive hypertension and its promise as a novel therapeutic target. Summary The role of ENaC in blood pressure regulation in the kidney has been well studied. Recent human gene sequencing efforts have identified thousands of variants among the genes encoding ENaC, and research efforts to determine if these variants and their expression in extra-renal tissue play a role in hypertension will advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of ENaC-mediated cardiovascular disease and lead to novel therapeutic targets.
ISSN:1522-6417
1534-3111
DOI:10.1007/s11906-020-01067-9