Insulin-like growth factor 1 and sodium-lithium countertransport in essential hypertension and in hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work was to study the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), a substance able to promote cell proliferation in vascular smooth muscle, in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension and to analyse its relationship to sodium-lithium countertransport, a genetic marker of hypertension that is related to cardiovascular complications.


METHODS
We studied 32 hypertensive subjects, some with left ventricular hypertrophy, and 14 healthy subjects. Fasting plasma IGF1 was measured by means of a radioimmunoassay after octadecylsilica chromatography and Na(+)-Li+ countertransport was determined by the method of Canessa.


RESULTS
Hypertensive patients had higher values of both IGF1 and Na(+)-Li+ countertransport. We found a positive correlation, irrespective of age, between IGF1 and Na(+)-Li+ countertransport. The patients with left ventricular hypertrophy had significantly higher plasma IGF1 levels than those without left ventricular hypertrophy.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirm a possible role for IGF1 in the cardiovascular complications of hypertension and emphasize its relationship to genetically determined factors.
Andronico
G
G
Divisione di Fisiopatologia Clinica ed Ipertensione, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Mangano
M T
MT
Nardi
E
E
Mulè
G
G
Piazza
G
G
Cerasola
G
G
D000328:Adult; D017920:Antiporters / Q000097:blood*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values
D017920:Antiporters; C045885:sodium-lithium countertransporter; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I