Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Department-University of Pisa, Via Paradisa 2 56 124 Pisa, Italy.
Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(13):2341-50. doi: 10.2174/1381612811319130002.
There is increasing evidence that an elevation of oxidative stress and associated oxidative damages are mediators of vascular injury in various cardiovascular pathologies, including hypertension. Accumulation of oxidative damage is thought to play an important role in aging and age-associated diseases such as hypertension and oxidative stress may function as a common trigger for activation of the senescence programme. In this regard, the role of telomeres in the onset, development and prognosis of hypertension has generated considerable interest. These structures may deteriorate in the onset and development of arterial hypertension in which their length may be a predictor of outcome. As telomere length by its nature is a marker of cell senescence, this parameter is of particular interest when studying the lifespan and fate of endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes and smooth muscle cells, especially so because telomere length seems to be regulated by various factors notably certain cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking, sex and obesity that are associated with high levels of oxidative stress. This review focuses on the vascular effects of reactive oxygen species and the role of oxidative stress in hypertension- associated vascular damage. In addition it reviewes the considerable amount of data published recently on the role of telomeres to gain insights into the links between telomere length and hypertension, and assesses the usefulness of telomere length as a new marker of cardiovascular risk.
越来越多的证据表明，氧化应激升高及其相关的氧化损伤是多种心血管疾病（包括高血压）中血管损伤的介质。氧化损伤的积累被认为在衰老和与衰老相关的疾病中发挥重要作用，如高血压，氧化应激可能作为衰老程序激活的共同触发因素。在这方面，端粒在高血压的发生、发展和预后中的作用引起了相当大的兴趣。这些结构可能在动脉高血压的发生和发展中恶化，其长度可能是预后的预测指标。由于端粒长度本质上是细胞衰老的标志物，因此当研究内皮细胞、心肌细胞和平滑肌细胞的寿命和命运时，这个参数特别有趣，特别是因为端粒长度似乎受到各种因素的调节，特别是某些心血管危险因素，如吸烟、性别和肥胖，这些因素与高水平的氧化应激有关。这篇综述重点介绍了活性氧对血管的影响以及氧化应激在高血压相关血管损伤中的作用。此外，它还回顾了最近发表的大量关于端粒作用的资料，以深入了解端粒长度与高血压之间的联系，并评估端粒长度作为心血管风险的新标志物的有用性。
