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Hypertension Research
A central focus of the Center for Molecular Physiology Research is the study of essential hypertension—or hypertension that occurs with no identified cause. Center investigators hope to better understand the genes and proteins that may contribute to this condition, which can lead to complications later in life if not countered with lifestyle changes at an early stage. Several research programs in hypertension are currently underway at Children’s National Medical Center.
- Adult-onset Hypertension Induced by Fluid and Electrolyte
Disorders of Childhood
Patricio Ray, MD, Robert Parrott Professor of Pediatrics, is testing the hypothesis that some forms of adult-onset essential hypertension may be caused by electrolyte disorders during childhood. He studies the chronic effects of potassium, chloride, and sodium deprivation in developing rodent kidneys. Dr. Ray hypothesizes that these electrolyte disorders induce silent and progressive injuries to the kidneys’ structure, which can lead to tubul-interstitial disorders, salt wasting, or salt-sensitive hypertension. In collaboration with Georgetown University, researchers also test the hypothesis that a specific protein, named BP-1, induces hypertension in mice. Kitman Wai, MD, a clinical fellow in pediatric intensive care, explores how sepsis-induced fluid-electrolyte disorders, hypotension, and vascular leakage induce acute kidney injury in critically-ill children. Dr. Ray also and Pedro A. Jose, MD, PhD also explore how hypertension can be induced by chronic potassium deprivation in animal models, similar to the renal disorders that can occur in children with long term low levels of potassium.
- Inflammation in Hypertension, Obesity, and Metabolic Syndrome
Ines Armando, PhD, is testing the hypothesis that dopamine, through a specific dopamine receptor D2 (D2R), regulates immune function and oxidative stress in the kidney. Dr. Armando also studies whether or not problems with D2R cause renal inflammation, oxidative stress, and hypertension, and therefore also could contribute to the development of symptoms of metabolic syndrome. It is believed that tissue inflammation, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and oxidative stress in the kidney could play an important role in the start and ongoing problem of high blood pressure (hypertension). Dopamine may play a regulatory function in the immune response of the kidneys, which may affect the level of inflammation.
- Dopamine Receptor Recycling and Hypertension
John Edward Jones, PhD, and Van Anthony M. Villar, MD, PhD, research the system that allows dopamine receptors to rest and recycle in order to maintain their effectiveness, and how, if not working properly, this regulatory function affects the normal function of the kidney—and can specifically lead to essential hypertension.
- Sodium Transporters and Hypertension
Xiaoyan Wang, MD, PhD, studies whether sodium transporters, especially the sodium chloride cotransporter in the distal convoluted tubule of the kidney, are important in the sodium retention associated with deletion of specific dopamine receptor subtypes.
- G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases (GRK) and Hypertension
Zheng Wang, MD, MS, studies the hypothesis that GRK4 (a renal protein) variants, by regulating G protein-coupled receptors, are major factors in essential hypertension.
Faculty who study hypertension
Related links
- Learn more about our clinical care and research into childhood obesity through the Obesity Institute at Children’s National Medical Center
- Read about the clinical program that diagnoses and treats pediatric hypertension
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