Novel Molecular Mechanisms Involved in the Medical Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Abstract

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe condition with a high mortality rate despite advances in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. In recent years, significant scientific progress has been made in the understanding of the underlying pathobiological mechanisms. Since current available treatments mainly target pulmonary vasodilation, but lack an effect on the pathological changes that develop in the pulmonary vasculature, there is need to develop novel therapeutic compounds aimed at antagonizing the pulmonary vascular remodeling. This review presents the main molecular mechanisms involved in the pathobiology of PAH, discusses the new molecular compounds currently being developed for the medical treatment of PAH and assesses their potential future role in the therapeutic algorithms of PAH.