Spermidine in hypertension: therapeutic potential and novel mechanisms

Informazioni relative al progetto

SPeR-ToNE

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101025118

DOI

10.3030/101025118

Progetto concluso il 31 Dicembre 2023

Data della firma CE 22 Febbraio 2021

Data di avvio 21 Febbraio 2022

Data di completamento 11 Giugno 2025

Finanziato da

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Costo totale

€ 196 707,84

Contributo UE

€ 196 707,84

Coordinato da

INSTITUT GUSTAVE ROUSSY
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SPeR-ToNE (Spermidine in hypertension: therapeutic potential and novel mechanisms)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-02-21 al 2024-02-20

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Hypertension remains a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease, posing major challenges to society and healthcare systems, as only one-third of patients effectively control their blood pressure with existing medications. Toward this end, growing evidence suggests that spermidine, a naturally occurring activator of the cellular housekeeping process, known as autophagy, is associated with lower blood pressure in humans. The project's major objective is to leverage this insight to examine whether spermidine, available as a dietary supplement, can be used to improve blood pressure and, if so, what the underlying mechanisms are.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

In preliminary work, spermidine feeding to salt-sensitive hypertensive rats effectively attenuated high blood pressure. To evaluate the mechanisms, particularly autophagy, a mouse model with reduced autophagic capacity was generated. Subsequently, these mice and their wild-type controls were subjected to an experimental protocol of hypertension. However, this model, involving the use of a high-salt diet, failed to induce a sufficient rise in blood pressure, precluding the possibility of evaluating the crosstalk between autophagy, hypertension, and spermidine. Thus, the protocol needs to be modified, or other models need to be used to determine the role of autophagy in the blood pressure-lowering effect of spermidine, which went beyond the budget and timeframe of this project.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

Spermidine supplementation is currently undergoing testing for its blood pressure-lowering effects in an ongoing clinical trial involving hypertensive patients. If patients demonstrate similar benefits to those observed in experimental models of the disease, this might lead to the launch of a new class of antihypertensive medications based on autophagy induction, paving the way for changes in patient treatment protocols. In fact, introducing a pluripotent compound, which not only counteracts hypertension but also slows aging at a systemic level, will have a significant impact on medicine as well as the economy. This could reduce the massive bill caused by hypertension, which is expected to continuously increase as lifespan extends, and our aging population grows.

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