Roles of aldosterone in vascular calcification: An update

Both clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that vascular calcification (VC) is a common pathology shared in many chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes. It's an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. Since the pathogenesis of VC is complicated, current therapies have limited effects on the regression of VC. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate the potential mechanisms and find new targets for the treatment of VC. Aldosterone (Aldo), a mineralocorticoid hormone, is the metabolite of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation, which can exert genomic and non-genomic effects on the cardiovascular system. Recent data suggests that Aldo can promote VC. Here, we summarized the roles of Aldo in the process of VC and a series of findings indicated that Aldo could act as a potentially therapeutic target for treating VC.

Graphical abstractOxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis and signaling pathways are all involved in the process of vascular calcification (VC). Aldosterone (Aldo) up-regulation may promote these VC-related factors via genomic and non-genomic mechanisms, which indicates it as a potential target to treat VC.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (119 K)Download as PowerPoint slide