Hormone receptor in artery muscle linked to obesity-related artery stiffness
Official title: Smooth Muscle Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Obesity-Induced Vascular Stiffness
Funded at Tufts Medical Center · NIH-11248857 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how a hormone-activated receptor in artery muscle cells may make large blood vessels stiffer in people with obesity and how those effects differ between women and men.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2014 |
| Project end | November 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $729,769 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL119290-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248857 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with obesity (elevated BMI), especially women, or adults willing to donate vascular tissue or take part in hospital-based vascular studies would be most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
People without obesity or whose vascular problems stem from other causes may not receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will study the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in vascular smooth muscle cells using mice fed a high-fat diet and human aortic muscle cells from donors to compare obese versus lean conditions. They will compare males and females to identify sex-specific pathways that drive artery stiffening. The work examines the role of fat around blood vessels (perivascular adipose tissue), oxidative stress, HIF1α, and an MR isoform in promoting stiffness and uses measures of aortic stiffness and cellular assays. The team will test whether removing or blocking MR in artery muscle cells protects vessels from stiffening and look for molecular markers that could guide future treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to sex-specific ways to prevent or reverse artery stiffening in people with obesity, reducing risks of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies and early data from human artery cells suggest targeting smooth-muscle MR can reduce vessel stiffening, but benefits in people are not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jaffe, Iris Z — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Jaffe, Iris Z
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.