Myocardial effects of VDR activators in renal failure

Masahide Mizobuchi, Hironori Nakamura, Masanori Tokumoto, Jane Finch, Jeremiah Morrissey, Helen Liapis, Eduardo Slatopolsky

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Traditional causes such as diabetes, smoking, aging and hypertension do not fully explain the high rate of morbidity from cardiovascular disease seen in these patients. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) regulates extracellular volume homeostasis, which contributes to blood pressure stability. Overactivity of this system is involved in the pathophysiology of cardio-renal disease. New evidence suggests that vitamin D receptor activators (VDRAs) have a suppressive effect on the RAAS; however, VDRAs also have anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. We have demonstrated that paricalcitol, a VDRA, ameliorates left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in uremic rats by up-regulating the VDR, decreasing myocardial PCNA and also decreasing myocardial oxidative stress.Thus, paricalcitol can suppress the progression of LVH, myocardial and perivascular fibrosis and myocardial arterial vessel thickness presumably by up-regulating the VDR. Paricalcitol may prove to have a substantial beneficial effect on cardiac disease and its outcome in patients with CKD. Prospective randomized studies in CKD patients are necessary to confirm these results.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)188-192
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Volume121
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2010

Keywords

  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Phosphorus
  • Renal failure
  • Vitamin D

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