Is the serum level of salusin-ß associated with hypertension and atherosclerosis in the pediatric population?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Salusins are recently identified endogenous bioactive peptides that have hypotensive and bradycardiac effects. Salusin-ß is involved in the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of a young patient population with hypertension (HTN). Based on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), the adolescents were categorized into two groups, namely, a hypertensive group consisting of patients with essential (primary) HTN (HTN group) and a group consisting of patients with white-coat HTN [reference (R) group]. Correlations between serum salusin-ß level and clinical, laboratory and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) variables were assessed. RESULTS: The median salusin-ß concentration was significantly higher in patients with essential HTN than in those with white-coat HTN (R group). Salusin-ß was positively correlated with the body mass index Z-score, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) from three independent measurements, mean systolic BP during the daytime, triglyceride (TG) level, and atherogenic index (TG/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this preliminary study suggest that salusin-ß may play an important role in the pathogenesis of HTN in a young population. Further research should focus on the role of salusin-ß in the mechanism of essential HTN and the assessment of possible correlations between salusin-ß and other well-known markers of atherosclerosis in both teenagers and adults. This research should serve as a base for future studies in this field.