Department of Pathophysiology, Medical College of Shihezi University/Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases, Shihezi Xinjiang 832002, China

The pathogenesis of essential hypertension has not fully elucidated yet. However, with the clarification of the structure and function of lipid raft (LR), its seems like there is a close relation between LR and hypertension. LR is related to many important cell functions. Multiple signal transduction pathway in hypertension are mediated by the receptors located in LR or caveolae. So LR plays an important regulatory role in the genesis and development of hypertension. The proteins and signal molecules related to the pathogenesis of hypertension, such as eNOS, CaR, NADPH oxidase, Pho kinase, InsR, Ca2+, and signal pathways of TGFβ and MAPK, are either located in LR or regulated by LR. It provides strong evidences to support the relationship between LR and the pathogenesis of hypertension. This paper summarizes the reports on the role of the abovementioned proteins and signal pathways in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension.