Publications by authors named "A L Cogolludo"

Severe vitamin D (vitD) deficiency is a very common condition in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and it is predictor of poor prognosis. There is emerging evidence suggesting a connection between the insufficient response to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) and vitD deficiency in patients with PAH. In the present translational study, vitD deficiency was induced in Wistar rats by exposure to vitD free diet for 5 weeks and followed by Su5416 administration and hypoxia (10%) for 3 weeks, a standard experimental model of PAH.

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Article Synopsis
  • Vitamin D deficiency in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients is linked to a poorer prognosis, and this study investigates the role of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in the pulmonary vasculature.
  • VDR is found in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC), and its expression is lower in PAH patients compared to non-hypertensive controls, but can be increased by calcitriol treatment.
  • Calcitriol not only raises VDR expression but also has an antiproliferative effect on PASMC, which involves the modulation of specific genes like survivin and BMP signaling, suggesting potential therapeutic implications for PAH.
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An effective pulmonary hypertension (PH) treatment should combine antiproliferative and vasodilator effects. We characterized a wide-range of drugs comparing their anti-proliferative vs vasodilator effects in human and rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). Key findings: 1) Approved PH drugs (PDE5 inhibitors, sGC stimulators and PGI agonists) are preferential vasodilators.

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Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D is involved in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The aim of this study was to analyze the electrophysiological and contractile properties of pulmonary arteries (PAs) in vitamin D receptor knockout mice (). PAs were dissected and mounted in a wire myograph.

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