Pulmonary Hypertension and Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction

This book describes the role of extracellular and
intracellular calcium in hypoxic pulmonary
vasoconstriction (HPV) which can lead to pulmonary
hypertension. In the lungs, HPV can markedly raise
pulmonary arterial pressure. A temporary, moderate
rise in pressure may not be damaging; however,
persistent hypertension (due to chronic hypoxia) can
lead to right heart failure and pulmonary
oedema. Acute HPV can arise from any clinical
condition which results in alveolar hypoxia e.g.
causes of airway obstruction including asthma,
ventilatory insufficiency caused by neurological
defects, deformities of the thoracic skeleton, or
lung damage. Chronic HPV, by contrast, is usually
irreversible due to re-modelling of the pulmonary
vasculature casued by diseases such as emphysema.
This book presents experimental data supporting the
thesis that calcium sensitization mediates HPV. The
role of caffeine, ryanodine, NADH and cyclic ADP
ribose (cADPR) levels in calcium sensitization are
explored as potential new therapeutic targets for
pulmonary hypertension.

Autorentext

Michelle Dipp is Vice President and Head of US for GlaxoSmithKline's Centre of Excellence for External Drug Discovery. Dr. Dipp was Vice President of Corporate Development at Sirtris where she led the acquisition by GSK. Michelle has an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Respiratory Physiology from the University of Oxford.

Klappentext

This book describes the role of extracellular and intracellular calcium in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) which can lead to pulmonary hypertension. In the lungs, HPV can markedly raise pulmonary arterial pressure. A temporary, moderate rise in pressure may not be damaging; however, persistent hypertension (due to chronic hypoxia) can lead to right heart failure and pulmonaryoedema. Acute HPV can arise from any clinical condition which results in alveolar hypoxia e.g. causes of airway obstruction including asthma, ventilatory insufficiency caused by neurological defects, deformities of the thoracic skeleton, or lung damage. Chronic HPV, by contrast, is usually irreversible due to re-modelling of the pulmonary vasculature casued by diseases such as emphysema. This book presents experimental data supporting the thesis that calcium sensitization mediates HPV. The role of caffeine, ryanodine, NADH and cyclic ADP ribose (cADPR) levels in calcium sensitization are explored as potential new therapeutic targets for pulmonary hypertension.