title: Effect of penbutolol on circadian blood pressure, and renin, aldosterone and cortisol levels in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: We investigated the effect of an orally administered, long-acting, beta-adrenergic blocking agent, penbutolol, on the circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), and plasma renin activity (PRA), aldosterone (PA) and cortisol (PC) levels in hospital patients with essential hypertension validated by a chronobiological inferential statistic method. After a wash-out period of three weeks, a group of 8 hypertensive patients (5 women and 3 men, 27 to 41 years old) underwent automatic BP and HR monitoring, and blood sampling for 24 hours in a hospital room before and after 4 weeks of treatment with penbutolol (40-mg tablet once a day at 9 a.m.). In basal conditions, a statistically significant mean circadian rhythm was demonstrated for HR, diastolic BP, PRA, PA, and PC. Systolic and diastolic BP were lowered by penbutolol, with only a minor decrease of HR. The treatment eliminated also the mean circadian rhythm of BP and HR. Penbutolol induced both a remarkable reduction of PRA with disappearance of the related circadian rhythm and a significant decrease in PA levels with maintenance of their circadian rhythmicity. The circadian secretory patterns of PC were similar before and after therapy. In conclusion, long-term treatment with penbutolol appears not only to set BP, PRA and PA values to lower levels, but also to decrease the within-day variation of BP, HR, and PRA. In addition, penbutolol does not influence the 24 h-secretion of PC.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinica Medica, University of Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: degli Uberti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portaluppi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Margutti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trasforini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bianconi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Teodori
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pansini
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D010394:Penbutolol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D011412:Propanolamines; D000450:Aldosterone; D010394:Penbutolol; D012083:Renin; D006854:Hydrocortisone