Minireviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hypertens. Feb 23, 2016; 6(1): 41-52
Published online Feb 23, 2016. doi: 10.5494/wjh.v6.i1.41
Roles of catecholamine related polymorphisms in hypertension
Oya Orun
Oya Orun, Marmara University School of Medicine Biophysics Department, Maltepe, 34854 Istanbul, Turkey
Author contributions: Orun O solely contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Oya Orun, Associate Professor, Marmara University School of Medicine Biophysics Department, Maltepe, Maltepe Basibuyuk Yolu Sok. 9/1, 34854 Istanbul, Turkey. oyaorun@yahoo.com
Telephone: +90-216-4212222-1716
Received: August 21, 2015
Peer-review started: August 24, 2015
First decision: September 30, 2015
Revised: November 2, 2015
Accepted: December 1, 2015
Article in press: December 2, 2015
Published online: February 23, 2016
Processing time: 186 Days and 6.3 Hours
Abstract

The objective of this review is to summarize current data obtained so far in catecholamine-essential hypertension (EH) relationships on a genetic basis. As the major elements driving the sympathetic system’s actions, catecholamines modulate a variety of physiological processes and mutations related to the system. This could generate serious disorders, such as severe mental illnesses, stress-induced disorders, or impaired control of blood pressure or motor pathways. EH is idiopathic, and the genetic basis of its causes and substantial interindividual discrepancies in response to different types of treatments are the focus of interest. Susceptibility to disease or efficacy of treatments are thought to reflect genomic variabilities among individuals. Therefore, outlining the available knowledge in functional genetic polymorphisms linked to EH will make the picture clearer and will help to establish future prospects in the field.

Keywords: Single nucleotide polymorphism; Catecholamine; Adrenergic receptor; Dopamine receptor; Hypertension; Epinephrine; Norepinephrine

Core tip: Catecholamines are the major elements of sympathetic system’s actions, therefore they also act as important regulators of blood pressure. Polymorphism studies require a tedious approach since there are inconsistencies among the studies due to different ethnical origins, subject size and self discrepancies among individuals. Nevertheless, there are many promising findings and still more fields to investigate. Especially role of genes involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of catecholamines were relatively missing. This review summarizes the current knowledge about catecholamine-related polymorphisms on the basis of development, prognosis and drug response of essential hypertension and aims to improve better assessment of the disease.