Salusin Peptides in Cardiovascular Health and Disease

Salusin peptides, comprising salusin-α and salusin-β, are endogenous bioactive peptides derived from the prosalusin precursor. These peptides exert diverse actions on cardiovascular physiology, including modulation of blood pressure, heart rate and vascular cell proliferation. Salusin-β generally promotes vasoconstriction, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, fibrosis and inflammatory responses, whereas salusin-α often counterbalances these effects through vasodilatory and anti-atherogenic actions. In systemic vascular diseases, alterations in circulating and tissue levels of salusins have been linked with endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and maladaptive remodelling. Moreover, salusin-β has emerged as a contributor to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and diabetic vascular injury, acting via reactive oxygen species generation and autophagy pathways. Conversely, salusin-α shows potential cardioprotective and atheroprotective roles. Together, these findings highlight salusins as both biomarkers and therapeutic targets in hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy and systemic sclerosis.

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Salusin Peptides in Cardiovascular Health and Disease publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in salusin peptides in cardiovascular health and disease across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Endothelial dysfunction: Impairment of the endothelium’s ability to regulate vascular tone and barrier function.

Oxidative stress: Imbalance between reactive oxygen species production and antioxidant defences.

Autophagy: Cellular degradation process that removes damaged proteins and organelles.

Vascular remodelling: Structural alteration of blood vessel walls in response to chronic stimuli.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS): Enzyme producing nitric oxide in endothelial cells to mediate vasodilation.

NAD(P)H oxidase: Enzyme complex generating reactive oxygen species in vascular cells.

References

1. The Clinical Significance of Salusins in Systemic Sclerosis—A Cross-Sectional Study. Diagnostics (2023).
2. Downregulation of salusins alleviates hypertrophic cardiomyopathy via attenuating oxidative stress and autophagy. European Journal of Medical Research (2024).
3. Salusin‐β Is Involved in Diabetes Mellitus‐Induced Endothelial Dysfunction via Degradation of Peroxisome Proliferator‐Activated Receptor Gamma. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity (2017).
4. Improvement of Vascular Function by Knockdown of Salusin-β in Hypertensive Rats via Nitric Oxide and Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling Pathway. Frontiers in Physiology (2021).
5. Salusins: Potential Use as a Biomarker for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases. International Journal of Hypertension (2013).