ROS-Activated TRPM2 Channel: Calcium Homeostasis in Cardiovascular/renal System and Speculation in Cardiorenal Syndrome

The transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) channel is a nonselective calcium channel that is sensitive to oxidative stress (OS), and is widely expressed in multiple organs, such as the heart, kidney, and brain, which is inextricably related to calcium dyshomeostasis and downstream pathological events. Due to the increasing global burden of kidney or cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), safe and efficient drugs specific to novel targets are imperatively needed. Notably, investigation of the possibility to regard the TRPM2 channel as a new therapeutic target in ROS-related CVDs or renal diseases is urgently required because the roles of the TRPM2 channel in heart or kidney diseases have not received enough attention and thus have not been fully elaborated. Therefore, we aimed to review the involvement of the TRPM2 channel in cardiovascular disorders related to kidney or typical renal diseases and attempted to speculate about TRPM2-mediated mechanisms of cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) to provide representative perspectives for future research about novel and effective therapeutic strategies.