The compound, known as Ap4A, causes the endothelial membrane in blood vessels to release nitric oxide, a gas that causes blood vessels to relax, thereby lowering blood pressure. The compound is stored in blood platelets and released into the vascular system during stressful conditions. Jennifer Woodell, a doctoral candidate in bioengineering, works in Richard Hilderman's laboratory to investigate Ap4A, a compound in blood platelets that lowers blood pressure. Now we are looking for a way to mimic Ap4A synthetically so it would not be broken down. This could be used to treat chronic high blood pressure.
Chronic hypertension is one of the major diseases in western societies.
An exciting benefit of Ap4A is that it does not cause an increase in heart rate, a common side effect of current hypertension medications. Because of the potential for future pharmaceutical development, Hilderman's research is protected by a patent as he searches for the biochemical mechanism that makes Ap4A so effective. Once that is determined, work can begin to synthesize a more long-lasting compound. So far, Hilderman's clinical trials have been conducted on pigs because they have a cardiovascular system most like humans. Clinical trials on humans are several years away.