VASCULAR IMMUNOBIOLOGY

Pulmonary Vascular Diseases, especially Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), have been the focus of our research effort (Oliveira et al., 2017, 2018, 2019; Oliveira 2022, 2023; Erewele, Castellon, Loya et al., 2022; Marinho, Villarreal et al., 2023). PAH is a life-threatening disease highly incident in women, characterized by pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling, which elevates the mean pulmonary arterial pressure and leads to right ventricular hypertrophy. Among the signaling pathways contributing to PAH onset, deficiency of pulmonary BMPR2 expression contributes to the hyperactivation of profibrotic TGF-β and vascular remodeling. Although the primary cause of PAH is not fully clear, studies indicate that it results from chronic pulmonary inflammation. Curiously, infection by the intravascular parasite Schistosoma mansoni recapitulates several aspects of widespread inflammation that lead to PAH, providing a unique model where molecular alterations leading to vascular..