Grant: Operating Grant

High blood pressure (hypertension) affects 30% of adult North Americans, is the most frequent reason for consultation of family physicians in Canada and is the leading cause of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke worldwide. Despite the fact that this condition is so common and is a major killer, we still do not know exactly what causes high blood pressure. Factors that have been suggested include increased production in the body of free radicals, called reactive oxygen species. High levels of free radicals cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, brain and kidneys and could promote an increase in blood pressure. Processes responsible for increased production of dangerous free radicals are unclear, but special proteins, called Noxs, may be important. The present proposal will focus on understanding how Noxs are regulated, how they produce free radicals in vessels and how they can contribute to blood pressure elevation. The clinical significance of our studies relates to the fact that these Noxs may be important targets for new therapies. In fact, there are a number of biotech companies in Japan and Switzerland, which are actively developing inhibitors of Noxs for the treatment of hypertension. By learning more about the Nox system through research, such as that supported here by the CIHR, new and better drugs and strategies for treating, and perhaps even preventing, hypertension may be developed. Considering that hypertension is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada, this would impact significantly on the overall well-being and health of the Canadian population at large.