2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

The role of TRP channels as a new indicator of cardiovascular events induced by alcohol

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23790726
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Legal medicine
Research Institution	Nara Medical University
Principal Investigator	KUDO Risa 奈良県立医科大学, 医学部, 助教 (20347545)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2012
Keywords	アルコール医学
Research Abstract	Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels were recently found to be expressed in the vasculature of several species, and it is becoming clear that TRP channels are features that are important for physiological functions. TRPV1 and TRPV4, which belong to a subtype of the TRP channel superfamily, are localized within vessels and are known to be involved in the relaxation response. We have noted that ethanol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and therefore we investigated the effect of ethanol on the vascular relaxation response via the TRP channels. We showed that the relaxation response via TRPV1 and TRPV4 was significantly suppressed by ethanol. This inhibition has been suggested to cause changes in blood flow, blood disorders, and various cardiovascular pathologies. We accordingly suggest that TRP channels can serve as a new indicator of cardiovascular events induced by alcohol.