A substance derived from the plant Ardisia crenata works in a different way than existing drugs. And in doing so, it is highly effective. Pulmonary hypertension is a very serious disease that leads to heart failure and death in many patients.
Searching for new treatment options, a team headed by Professor Daniela Wenzel and Dr. Alexander Seidinger from the Department of Systems Physiology at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, tested the plant substance FR900359 - referred to as FR by the researchers. It differs from previously used active substances in that it targets a different point in the signaling pathway that leads to pulmonary hypertension.
As a result, it simultaneously inhibits numerous factors that lead to vasoconstriction in the lungs. "In our experiments, FR relaxed the vessels quickly and effectively and produced a good therapeutic effect," as Alexander Seidinger, first author of the study, outlines the findings. The results were published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine on July 8, 2024.
The blood pressure inside the lungs is typically much lower than in the rest of the body. Pulmonary hypertension occurs when the blood vessels within the lungs contract and the smooth muscle layer surrounding these vessels thickens. The disease puts constant stress on the right heart, as it needs considerably more strength to pump the blood through the lungs.
As a result, the heart becomes enlarged and may eventually fail due to overload. "The causes of pulmonary hypertensio.