ABSTRACT
Objective: To study changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte calcineurin/ nuclear factor of activated T cells (CaN/NFAT) signaling pathway and calcium activated potassium channel (KCa3.1) expression in Kazak hypertensive patients with high high sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP) level from Xinjiang, and explore the mechanism of lymphocyte potassium channel involving in inflammation of hypertension.Methods: Kazak hypertensive patients from Xinjiang, who were first diagnosed in our heart center without antihypertensive therapy from Feb 2014 to Nov 2014, were selected.According to detected hsCRP level, a total of 50 hsCRP≥3mg/L patients were enrolled as high hsCRP group, and 50 hsCRP<3mg/L patients were enrolled as normal hsCRP group.Gene and protein expression levels of KCa3.1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and activities of lymphocyte CaN and NFAT were measured and compared between two groups.Results: Compared with normal hsCRP group, there were significant rise in expression levels of lymphocyte KCa3.1 mRNA [(0.86±0.16) vs.(2.48±0.22)], TNF-α mRNA [(1.02±0.15) vs.(2.90±0.13)], KCa3.1 protein [(1.00±0.02) vs.(2.46±0.04)] and TNF-α protein [(1.01±0.02) vs.(2.04±0.06)], and activities of CaN [(1.04±0.15) vs.(2.83±0.08)] and NFAT [(0.96±0.06) vs.(2.65±0.07)] in high hsCRP group, P<0.01 all.Conclusion: In Kazak hypertensive patients with inflammatory reaction from Xinjiang, KCa3.1 and CaN-NFAT signaling pathway expression rises, suggesting that lymphocyte KCa3.1 may be involved in occurrence and development of hypertension via CaN/NFAT signaling pathway.