Physiological and Pathophysiological Role of Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels (BKCa) in HUVECs and Placenta.
Adv Exp Med Biol
; 1428: 71-82, 2023.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37466769
BKCa channels (large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels) play a critical role in regulating vascular tone and blood pressure. These channels are present in the smooth muscle cells of blood vessels and are activated by voltage and increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration. More recently, the expression and activity of BKCa have been proposed to be relevant in endothelial cells, too, specifically in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the more studied cell type in the fetoplacental circulation. The role of BKCa in endothelial cells is not well understood, but in HUVECs or placental endothelium, these channels could be crucial for vascular tone regulation during pregnancy as part of endothelium-derived hyperpolarization (EDH), a key mechanism for an organ that lacks nervous system innervation like the placenta.In this review, we will discuss the evidence about the role of BKCa (and other Ca2+-activated K+ channels) in HUVECs and the placenta to propose a physiological mechanism for fetoplacental vascular regulation and a pathophysiological role of BKCa, mainly associated with pregnancy pathologies that present maternal hypertension and/or placental hypoxia, like preeclampsia.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Canais de Potássio Cálcio-Ativados
/
Canais de Potássio Ativados por Cálcio de Condutância Alta
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Adv Exp Med Biol
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Chile
País de publicação:
Estados Unidos