Anorexigen-induced pulmonary hypertension and the serotonin (5-HT) hypothesis: lessons for the future in pathogenesis
Epidemiological studies have established that fenfluramine, D-fenfluramine, and aminorex, but not other appetite suppressants, increase the risk of primary pulmonary hypertension (PH). One current hypothesis suggests that fenfluramine-like medications may act through interactions with the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) transporter (5-HTT) located on pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and responsible for the mitogenic action of 5-HT. Anorexigens may contribute to PH by boosting 5-HT levels in the bloodstream, directly stimulating smooth muscle cell growth, or altering 5-HTT expression. We suggest that individuals with a high basal level of 5-HTT expression related to the presence of the long 5-HTT gene promoter variant may be particularly susceptible to one or more of these potential mechanisms of appetite-suppressant-related PH.
Find Related Datasets
Search by Tags
Click any tag below to search for similar datasets
Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | public |
| bureauCode |
[ "009:25" ] |
| contactPoint |
{ "fn": "NIH", "@type": "vcard:Contact", "hasEmail": "mailto:info@nih.gov" } |
| description | Epidemiological studies have established that fenfluramine, D-fenfluramine, and aminorex, but not other appetite suppressants, increase the risk of primary pulmonary hypertension (PH). One current hypothesis suggests that fenfluramine-like medications may act through interactions with the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) transporter (5-HTT) located on pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and responsible for the mitogenic action of 5-HT. Anorexigens may contribute to PH by boosting 5-HT levels in the bloodstream, directly stimulating smooth muscle cell growth, or altering 5-HTT expression. We suggest that individuals with a high basal level of 5-HTT expression related to the presence of the long 5-HTT gene promoter variant may be particularly susceptible to one or more of these potential mechanisms of appetite-suppressant-related PH. |
| distribution |
[ { "@type": "dcat:Distribution", "title": "Official Government Data Source", "mediaType": "text/html", "description": "Visit the original government dataset for complete information, documentation, and data access.", "downloadURL": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC64820/" } ] |
| identifier | https://healthdata.gov/api/views/h58z-98x2 |
| issued | 2025-07-14 |
| keyword |
[ "anorexigen-induced", "fenfluramine", "nih", "pulmonary-hypertension", "serotonin-transporter" ] |
| landingPage | https://healthdata.gov/d/h58z-98x2 |
| modified | 2025-09-06 |
| programCode |
[ "009:037" ] |
| publisher |
{ "name": "National Institutes of Health", "@type": "org:Organization" } |
| theme |
[ "NIH" ] |
| title | Anorexigen-induced pulmonary hypertension and the serotonin (5-HT) hypothesis: lessons for the future in pathogenesis |
