Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a chronic medical condition that affects millions of people globally. Often referred to as the “silent killer,” hypertension usually presents no symptoms but can lead to severe health complications, including heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Understanding the causes, risk factors, and prevention methods of hypertension is essential for maintaining optimal health.
Researchers from Monash University have uncovered how the gut – and our diet – influence high blood pressure, potentially opening the door to more targeted treatments.
The pioneering study, involving teams from Australia, China, and Singapore, was led by the Hypertension Research Laboratory at Monash University’s School of Biological Sciences, under the direction of Professor Francine Marques.
This discovery is especially important for the one in three Australians affected by hypertension, a major contributor to stroke, heart disease, and kidney problems.
Professor Marques indicated that it was known that dietary fiber, through the production of short-chain fatty acids by gut microbes, helps lower blood pressure. However, they were unable to fully understand the mechanisms behind this gut-to-body communication.
Researchers of the study indicated that the breakthrough lies in two protein receptors found in intestinal cells, which are activated by short-chain fatty acids. These receptors, known as GPR41 and GPR43, play a crucial role.
Professor Marques stated that these are what we refer to as ‘G-protein coupled receptors,’ which form the largest group of receptors on cell membranes. They initiate signaling from the cell surface to the interior,”
She indicated that these receptors are abundant in immune cells and the cells lining the intestinal wall. When activated, they are known to trigger anti-inflammatory processes.
Professor Marques further pointed out that what is particularly exciting is that the molecules responsible for activating these receptors are produced by the gut when we consume fiber in our diet.
Dietary fiber functions by being fermented in the gut by microbes, which then produce short-chain fatty acids. Sources of dietary fiber include legumes, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, resistant starches like oats and potatoes, and seeds. However, a significant challenge, according to the researchers, is that most Australians do not consume enough fiber.
The team’s findings have appeared in Circulation Research, with a particular emphasis on gut permeability, or the extent to which it leaks, based on pre-clinical laboratory studies.
“Our study shows that the lack of activation of the receptors, copying a situation when we don’t have enough fibre in our diet, leads to increased gut permeability, allowing microbial components into the circulation,” explained the lead author Dr Rikeish R Muralitharan, who is a research fellow in the School of Biological Sciences.
“This activates inflammation in key organs such as the kidney, which regulate blood pressure, and which leads to hypertension. What is exciting here is that this systemic increased inflammation we observe in diseases such as hypertension may start in the gut, and we demonstrate that GPR41 and 43 are, at least partially, responsible for the blood pressure-lowering and cardio-protective effects of a high fibre diet.”
The researchers also reveal through genetic data from approximately 300,000 individuals that certain genetic variations are associated with lower rates of hypertension.
Professor Marques’s lab is currently conducting a human clinical trial to gain a deeper understanding of gut permeability in hypertension. Additionally, they have begun in vitro testing of potential new drugs that could bind to the receptors.
she indicated that they have teamed up with specialists in computational drug discovery and G-protein coupled receptors to design and test new drugs that activate these receptors, paving the way for new treatments aimed at lowering blood pressure through the gut.
The findings could play an essential role in hypertension treatment.
