title: Sensory nerve terminal activity in severe hypertension as reflected by circulating calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P.
abstract: In patients with severe hypertension and in age and sex matched controls the circulating levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity (CGRP-LI) and substance P-LI were measured. Samples were taken before medication, after 2-4 weeks and 2-12 months of pharmacological treatment to normotension. In the control group CGRP-LI levels were significantly higher for females than for males. No such relation was seen for substance P-LI. There were no correlations between CGRP-LI, substance P-LI or blood pressure. In the untreated acute hypertensive group there was a significant correlation between circulating levels of CGRP-LI and both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. No such relationship was seen for substance P-LI. The plasma levels of substance P-LI were significantly elevated (2.8 +/- 4.0) compared to controls (1.3 +/- 1.3, pmol/l, mean +/- S.D., p < 0.01). The levels of CGRP-LI did not differ from the control group. After 2-4 weeks of treatment the blood pressure decreased significantly and the plasma levels of substance P-LI were normalized while the CGRP-LI still did not differ from that of controls. After 2-12 months of treatment the blood pressure was still normalized, and the plasma levels of CGRP-LI and substance P-LI were not different from the control group. In the present study there was a positive correlation in hypertensives between the circulating CGRP-LI levels and diastolic and systolic blood pressure and elevated levels of substance P-LI. This would implicate the existence of a dynamic control through which the sensory system may register and damp the pressure response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Edvinsson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Erlinge
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ekman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thulin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000097:blood*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D013373:Substance P / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013373:Substance P; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide