Reflections on exploring the mechanisms of hypertension via the gastrointestinal tract

The pathogenesis of essential hypertension has not been fully clarified. The gastrointestinal tract is a crucial foundation for maintaining systemic homeostasis and also serves as an initial target for numerous risk factors associated with hypertension. Endogenous factors within the intestine, together with inflammatory responses, participate in the pathological progression of hypertension. Inflammation can also induce the remodeling of the enteric nervous system, thereby opening up new avenues for the treatment of hypertension in the gastrointestinal system. This paper hypothesizes that in the pathogenesis of hypertension, inflammation-induced activation of enteric glial cell is a critical link leading to abnormal blood pressure, and triggers a cascading response involving the intestinal mucosal barrier, the enteric nervous system, and related signaling pathways.