title: Circulating kallikreins in normotensive and hypertensive humans: effects of mineralocorticoid administration.
abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate if short-term mineralocorticoid administration activates the circulating kallikrein-kinin systems in normotensive humans and patients with hypertension. Fludrocortisone was given daily for 1 week and circulating components of the plasma and tissue kallikrein-kinin systems and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system were measured repeatedly. Fludrocortisone increased blood pressure in the normotensive group. A significant reduction in circulating pre-kallikrein and increase in tissue kallikrein occurred only in the normotensive group. Changes in blood pressure in the normotensive group correlated negatively with changes in plasma pre-kallikrein and positively with changes in circulating tissue kallikrein. In the hypertensive group the correlation with pre-kallikrein was non-significant and with tissue kallikrein negative. We conclude that short-term administration of fludrocortisone in moderate doses to normotensive humans induces changes compatible with increased activity in the circulating plasma and tissue kallikrein-kinin systems and that this activation may be abnormal in subjects with primary hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Ohman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000652:urine; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005438:Fludrocortisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D007705:Kinins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008901:Mineralocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007705:Kinins; D008901:Mineralocorticoids; D000450:Aldosterone; D007610:Kallikreins; D005438:Fludrocortisone