IL1B and Hypertension: Circulating monocytes are activated and display more adherence to endothelial cells during hypertension (Chen et al., 1999; Dorffel et al., 1999) thus, exhibit a pro-inflammatory-like-phenotype via release of interleukin (IL)-1 and tumour necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β (Porreca et al., 1997).