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Disrupting Calcium Channel Expression To Lower Blood Pressure: New Targeting of a Well-Known Channel

¹ Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199,
² Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199

SUMMARY

Voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are multi-protein complexes that mediate arterial contraction and gene expression. Although their subunit composition is unknown, increased expression of these channels is thought to contribute to the elevated vascular tone that is a hallmark finding in hypertension. Two strategies for blunting Ca²⁺ channel expression have been achieved experimentally that rely on interrupting channel assembly and trafficking. The vision underlying these novel approaches to treat hypertension infers that a direct attack on the pathophysiology of the disease by reducing the over-abundance of Ca²⁺ channels may have therapeutic advantages for lowering blood pressure.