Endothelin, Kidney Disease, and Hypertension

S ince its discovery in 1988, endothelin-1 (ET-1) has been widely studied in a diverse number of fields, including neurology, cardiology, development, and to a greater extent, nephrology and hypertension. ] In fact, only 2 ET-1 receptor antagonists have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the use in humans, ambrisentan and bosentan, an ET A antagonist and dual ET A /ET B antagonist, respectively. The sole indication thus far approved is for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. owever, several receptor-specific antagonists are available and are going through animal testing and clinical trials. This review will focus on the recent progress of how ET-1 affects blood pressure and the future use of ET-1 receptor antagonists for the treatment of kidney disease and hypertension. 14