title: Can an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor with a short half-life effectively lower blood pressure for 24 hours?
abstract: Twenty-four-hour noninvasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was used to study the antihypertensive effect of morning (8 AM) versus evening (10 PM) administration of the new angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor quinapril, 20 mg. Eighteen patients with mild to moderate hypertension were studied in a double-blind, crossover fashion after 2 weeks of placebo for 4 weeks of each of the two active treatments. The results show that 20 mg of quinapril given once daily is effective in lowering blood pressure levels throughout a 24-hour period. The 24-hour blood pressure profiles showed a more sustained antihypertensive effect with an evening dose of quinapril compared with a morning dose of quinapril; with the morning dose a smaller reduction in blood pressure was observed during nighttime hours. Evening administration seems preferable, because it produces a more sustained and stable 24-hour blood pressure control probably through a more favorable modulation of tissue angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition or effect on the adrenergic-induced rise in blood pressure that occurs during early morning hours.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Medica 1a, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palatini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077583:Quinapril; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D007546:Isoquinolines; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines; D000077583:Quinapril