Low LXA4, RvD1 and RvE1 levels may be an indicator of the development of hypertension.

Abstract

Vascular structure and integrity are at the forefront of blood pressure regulation. However, there are many factors that affect the responses of the vessels. One of these is the inflammatory processes associated with high cholesterol and its modification. 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) is the critical enzyme in cholesterol oxidation, but this enzyme is also responsible for the synthesis of specialized proresoving lipid mediators (SPMs) called Lipoxin (Lxs) and Resolvin (Rvs). In this study, we determined serum LXA4, RvD1 and RvE1 levels in newly diagnosed hypertension (HT) and normotension (NT) cases. We evaluated how the presence of hypercholesterolemia (HC) in the follow-up changes the levels of these SPMs. We found that the three SPMs we measured decreased significantly in the presence of HC. In addition, we found a negative and significant correlation with systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol levels for the three SPMs. In conclusion, HT and HC are independent risk factors for cardiovascular death. However, the presence of HC may be an important factor for the development of HT. Increasing cholesterol levels may cause 15-LOX to shift towards LDL oxidation, thus leading to inflammation. This situation may negatively affect the vascular functions in the regulation of blood pressure. Serum LXA4, RvD1 and RvE1 measurements may provide clues that represent a shift of 15-LOX enzyme activity towards cholesterol.