Protective role of thioredoxin‐1 in cardiovascular systems

The thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) system consists of two oxidoreductases, the thioredoxin-reductase and Trx-1. Trx-1 is a ubiquitously expressed oxidoreductase. The cellular functions of Trx-1 are wide range. They include protein disulfide reduction, DNA synthesis, protection from apoptosis, redox regulation of a variety of proteins transcription factors and reduction of H2O2, respectively. This review will first focus on the essential role for Trx-1 in different cardiovascular cells, namely smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes. Thereby, the review will demonstrate the predominant role of Trx-1 to limit oxidative stress directly due to reactive oxygen species scavenging and by protein-protein interaction with key signaling molecules. Furthermore, the review will focus on important in vivo studies showing a protective role of Trx-1 in different cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the Trx system and Trx-1 could be important future targets to develop clinical therapies for cardiovascular disorders.