Stress is considered a risk factor associated with the development of various civilization diseases including cardiovascular diseases, malignant tumors and mental disorders. Research investigating mechanisms involved in stress-induced hypertension have attracted much attention of physicians and researchers, however, there are still ambiguous results
concerning a causal relationship between stress and long-term
elevation of blood pressure (BP). Several studies have observed that mechanisms involved in the development of stress-induced hyperte
nsion include increased activity of sympathetic nervous system (SNS), glucocorticoid (GC) overload and altered endothelial functionincluding decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Nitric oxide is well known neurotransmitter, neuromodulatorand vasodilator involved in regulation of
neuroendocrine mechanisms and cardiovascular responses to stressors. Thus NO plays a crucial role in the regulation of the stress systems and thereby in the BP regulation in stress. Elevated NO synthesis, especially in the initial phase of stress, may be considered a stress-limiting mechanism, facilitating the recovery from stress to the resting levels via attenuation of both GC release and SNS activity as well as by increased NO-dependent vasorelaxation. On the other hand, reduced levels of NO were observed in the later phases of stress and in subjects with genetic predisposition to hypertension, irrespectively, in which reduced NO bioavailability may account for disruption of NO-mediated BP regulatory mechanisms and accentuated SNS and GC effects. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of stress in development of hypertension with a special focus on the interactions among NO and other biological systems
affecting blood pressure and vascular function.