Serelaxin: A Novel Therapeutic for Vascular Diseases
Article
Leo, CH, Jelinic, M, Ng, HH et al. (2016). Serelaxin: A Novel Therapeutic for Vascular Diseases
. TRENDS IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 37(6), 498-507. 10.1016/j.tips.2016.04.001
Leo, CH, Jelinic, M, Ng, HH et al. (2016). Serelaxin: A Novel Therapeutic for Vascular Diseases
. TRENDS IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 37(6), 498-507. 10.1016/j.tips.2016.04.001
Vascular dysfunction is an important hallmark of cardiovascular disease. It is characterized by increased sensitivity to vasoconstrictors, decreases in the endothelium-derived vasodilators nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2), and endothelium-derived hyperpolarization (EDH). Serelaxin (recombinant human relaxin) has gained considerable attention as a new vasoactive drug, largely through its beneficial therapeutic effects in acute heart failure. In this review we first describe the contribution of endogenous relaxin to vascular homeostasis. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the novel mechanisms of serelaxin action in blood vessels that differentiate it from other vasodilator drugs and explain how this peptide could be used more widely as a therapeutic to alleviate vascular dysfunction in several cardiovascular diseases.