MAPK3 and Hypertension: The excessive force of stretch mediated by hypertension also causes alterations in the extracellular matrix, activating the RhoA pathway, which in turn promotes actin cytoskeleton remodeling in VSMCs [16]; the hypertension-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase B (AKT) also results in vascular remodeling [19,20].