AngII and Aging-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction

Aging, as we all know, is unavoidable and leads to an increased risk for vascular dysfunction and cardiovascular pathologies. So what are the mechanisms responsible for aging-induced vascular dysfunction? That’s just what Flavahan et al set out to investigate in their latest work in AJP-Heart and Circ. Listen as Editor in Chief Dr. Irving H. Zucker (University of Nebraska Medical Center) interviews lead author Nick Flavahan (Johns Hopkins University) and content expert Edward Lakatta (National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health) about Flavahan’s work, which builds on previous studies by Lakatta. Chronic in vivo inhibition of angiotensin activity protects endothelial function, but is it due to blockade of the systemic Renin-Agiotensin System (RAS) or the local vascular angiotensin system? What role do changes in anti-oxidant scavenging mechanisms play in endothelial dysfunction associated with aging? How do flow-mediated dilation and changes in angiotensin receptor expression fit into the big picture of aging? Listen and find out.

Sheila Flavahan, Fumin Chang, Nicholas A. Flavahan Local Renin-Angiotensin System Mediates Endothelial Dilator Dysfunction in Aging Arteries Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published July 15, 2016. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00422.2016