title: Pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary blood vessels and vasoactive drugs.
abstract: There is an urgent need for new drugs to treat pulmonary hypertension. Specific pathophysiological abnormalities, seen in both clinical pulmonary hypertension and experimental pulmonary hypertension in animals, suggest that potassium channel openers, endothelin antagonists and nitric oxide donors may be valuable in the future. Our own studies and those of others have shown that drugs from each of these groups have properties that are consistent with their potential therapeutic use in this disease. Use of the inhalational route of administration may be desirable, or even essential, if any of these drugs are to produce effects that are selective for the pulmonary circulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wanstall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016232:Endothelins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D016232:Endothelins; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D015221:Potassium Channels; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide