Researchers from the University of California, Davis, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Pennsylvania have advanced an experimental therapy targeting pulmonary arterial hypertension, a condition that currently lacks a cure. The findings were reported in Science Signal.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is marked by a loss of elasticity in the small arteries of the lungs. This rigidity raises the risk of dangerously high blood pressure in the lungs, heart strain, and eventual damage to lung tissue, making breathing increasingly difficult.
The condition partly stems from an abnormal growth of smooth muscle cells within the pulmonary arteries. In a recent study, scientists evaluated the experimental drug SRT2104 in a mouse model of pulmonary hypertension and noted a reduction in disease-related changes. The treatment raises levels of the TSC2 protein, which acts to slow the proliferation of smooth muscle cells lining the pulmonary arteries.
Beyond the animal model, the researchers examined lung tissue samples from sixteen patients diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension to assess the drug’s impact on human tissue.
In addition to its investigation for pulmonary arterial hypertension, SRT2104 is being explored for several other conditions, including type 2 diabetes, psoriasis, and dyslipidemia, reflecting broad interest in the drug’s potential effects on metabolic and inflammatory pathways.