How statins change artery tightening and blood pressure
Official title: Arterial contractility and blood pressure regulation by statins
Funded at Mercer University Macon · NIH-11249612 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether common statin medicines change how small arteries tighten and so raise or lower blood pressure in normal and high‑blood‑pressure animal models.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mercer University Macon NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Macon, United States) |
| Project start | December 20, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $558,852 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL167926-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249612 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with high blood pressure who are taking or considering statin therapy for cholesterol or heart disease are the group most likely to benefit from the findings, although the current work uses animal models rather than enrolling patients.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without hypertension or those not taking statins are less likely to see direct benefit from this specific lab research in the short term.
What this research studies
The team will test three commonly used statin drugs on small resistance arteries taken from normal and genetically high‑blood‑pressure animals. In the lab they will measure how the arteries contract and relax, and probe molecular pathways to see if statins act directly on the vessel wall independent of cholesterol effects. Comparisons between wild‑type and transgenic hypertensive animals will help identify why some people show blood‑pressure lowering with statins while others do not. The goal is to uncover mechanisms that could later inform clinical trials and more personalized blood‑pressure treatment for patients on statins.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors know when statins might lower blood pressure and guide more personalized blood‑pressure treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Previous clinical and preclinical work has sometimes shown blood‑pressure lowering with statins, but results have been inconsistent and the direct vascular mechanism remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Mercer University Macon
Macon, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hasan, Raquibul — Mercer University Macon
- Study coordinator: Hasan, Raquibul
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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.