This podcast is intended for healthcare professionals only.
our guest
Dr. Carlos Alberto Garza García is an internist and nephrologist, graduated from the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition and the Ignacio Chávez National Institute of Cardiology, currently practicing in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
Aldosterone and its receptor
Aldosterone, a steroid hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, is essential for the regulation of physiological processes, especially potassium homeostasis, blood volume, and blood pressure. However, its deleterious effects are becoming increasingly important in medical research. Pathologic activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor, the aldosterone effector, can lead to inflammation, collagen deposits, fibrosis, and necrosis.
It is essential to take into account that current knowledge about aldosterone has expanded, considering it as one of the multiple signals that activate the mineralocorticoid receptor. This receptor, which is found in many organs, including the heart, kidneys, lungs, immune system, adipose tissue, and vascular endothelium, is an essential part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis, but is also activated by other signals, such as cortisol, leptin , Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (RAC-1), hyperglycemia and oxidative stress.
Pathologic activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor promotes the expression of fibrotic factors, such as nuclear factor kappa-light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFk-B)transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-B), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), leading to inflammation and progressive fibrosis.
Translational medicine studies have shown that aldosterone infusion for 7 days can cause fibrosis and it is theorized that this is due to activation and differentiation of macrophages into harmful subtypes that do not promote tissue repair, but rather inflammation and tissue differentiation into myofibroblasts. generating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition instead of repair and the quiescent state.