TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of fasudil in patients with high-altitude pulmonary hypertension JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 496 LP - 498 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00095211 VL - 39 IS - 2 AU - B. Kojonazarov AU - A. Myrzaakhmatova AU - T. Sooronbaev AU - T. Ishizaki AU - A. Aldashev Y1 - 2012/02/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/39/2/496.abstract N2 - To the Editors:High-altitude pulmonary arterial hypertension (HAPH) is characterised by increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) secondary to hypoxia-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodelling of pulmonary arterioles [1]. Among the potential therapeutic targets is the RhoA/Rho kinases (ROCK) signalling pathway. The GTPase RhoA is a member of the Rho protein family, which regulates cellular functions such as contraction, motility, proliferation and apoptosis, and ROCKs are the best characterised downstream targets for RhoA [2, 3]. Activation of the small GTP-binding protein RhoA and its downstream target ROCK play a significant role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The effectiveness of Rho/ROCK inhibition has been shown in several murine models of PH [4–7]. Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, is a potent vasodilatator approved in Japan for the treatment of brain vessel vasospasm induced by subarachnoid haemorrhage. It has been shown to reduce PVR in patients with severe idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) [8, 9]. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of fasudil on pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) in Kyrgyz highlanders with HAPH.19 patients with HAPH, all permanent residents of the Tien-Shan Mountains (altitude 3,200–3,600 m) were … ER -