Cortisol increases vascular stiffness by activating the mineralocorticoid receptor, a mechanism targeted by drugs like spironolactone.

“so cortisol by the way is known to cause vascular stiffness by activating the mineralocorticoid receptor um and this is this was known as early as the 1940s when the first anti-old ocean drug known as spironolactone was invented they noticed that it was to this day he used to treat heart disease and heart failure but they noticed that basically when you give spironolactone uh their the arterial stiffness is either completely human or in some cases reverse so it's basically something through these receptors that's happening and you know cortisol is known to activate those receptors in higher amounts”