Secret Cells for Monitoring the Body’s Blood Pressure Have Been Finally Discovered

However, the mystical location and mechanism of these cells have remained masked so far. The study team has finally unveiled the secrets of these baroreceptors.

The Secret Mechanism

“It was exhilarating to find that the elusive pressure-sensing mechanism, the baroreceptor, was intrinsic to the renin cell, which has the ability to sense and react, both within the same cell. So the renin cells are sensors and responders,” says Sequeira-Lopez, of UVA’s Department of Pediatrics and UVA’s Child Health Research Center.

The team found that the baroreceptor was a “mechanotransducer” inside renin cells. When applying pressure to renin cells in lab dishes, it triggers changes within the cells that decreased the activity of the renin gene, Ren1, ultimately restricting the production of renin.

The study findings would thereby lead to new treatment formulations for high blood pressure/ hypertension.

Source: Medindia