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  2. Formaldehyde causes an increase in blood pressure by activating ACE/AT1R axis

Formaldehyde causes an increase in blood pressure by activating ACE/AT1R axis

  • Toxicology. 2023 Jan 24;153442. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2023.153442.
Shuwei Wang 1 Qi Han 1 Zhaolan Wei 1 Yunyi Wang 1 Lingfu Deng 1 Mingqing Chen 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, China.
  • 2 Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, China. Electronic address: chenmq@ccnu.edu.cn.
Abstract

Previous studies suggest some link between formaldehyde exposure and harmful cardiovascular effects. But whether exposure to formaldehyde can cause blood pressure to rise, and if so, what the underlying mechanism is, remains unclear. In this study, C57BL/6 male mice were exposed to 0.1, 0.5, 2.5mg/m3 of gaseous formaldehyde for 4hours daily over a three-week period. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HR) of the mice were measured by tail-cuff plethysmography, and any histopathological changes in the target organs of hypertension were investigated. The results showed that exposure to formaldehyde did cause a significant increase in blood pressure and heart rate, and resulted in varying degrees of damage to the heart, aortic vessels and kidneys. To explore the underlying mechanism, a specific inhibitor of angiotensin converting Enzyme (ACE) was used to block the ACE/AT1R axis. We observed the levels of ACE and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), as well as the bradykinin (BK) in cardiac cytoplasm. The data suggest that exposure to formaldehyde induced an increase in the expression of ACE and AT1R, and decreased the levels of BK. Strikingly, treatment with 5mg/kg/d ACE Inhibitor can attenuate the increase in blood pressure and the pathological changes caused by formaldehyde exposure. This result has improved our understanding of whether, and how, formaldehyde exposure affects the development of hypertension.

Keywords

Angiotensin converting enzyme; Bradykinin; Formaldehyde; Heart rate; Hypertension.

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