title: Blood pressure and plasma norepinephrine responses to dexfenfluramine in obese postmenopausal women.
abstract: Dexfenfluramine has been shown to reduce body weight and lower blood pressure in obese individuals. However. it is not clear whether the blood pressure-lowering effect is due to dexfenfluramine or to the loss of weight. This project was designed to study the effect of a 5-d treatment of dexfenfluramine on blood pressure changes in obese postmenopausal women. Twenty women aged 51-60 y matched for body mass index [BMI (in kg/m2) of 34.5-50.1] were assigned to either the dexfenfluramine group (15 mg orally twice a day for 5 d) or the control group. All subjects were instructed about an isoenergetic diet. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure, plasma catecholamines, glucose, insulin, and lipids were measured at the beginning and repeated at the conclusion of the study. On day 5 the mean systolic (SBP) and mean diastolic blood pressures (DBP) in the dexfenfluramine group were lower than those of the control group (SBP: 114+/-7 mm Hg in the dexfenfluramine group compared with 124+/-12 mm Hg in the control group, P < 0.05; DBP: 70+/-9 mm Hg in the dexfenfluramine group compared with 76+/-10 mm Hg in the control group, P < 0.05). The mean plasma norepinephrine concentration was lower in the dexfenfluramine group than in the control group (1.60+/-0.5 compared with 2.41+/-0.5 nmol/L, respectively, P < 0.05). No differences were noted in epinephrine, glucose, insulin. and lipid concentrations between the two groups. We showed that a 5-d treatment of dexfenfluramine decreases blood pressure and reduces heart rate in obese postmenopausal women. Our data suggest that these effects are results of the direct action of dexfenfluramine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Ulm, Germany. mmors@ucla.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flechtner-Mors
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ditschuneit
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001067:Appetite Depressants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D001823:Body Composition; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005277:Fenfluramine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017698:Postmenopause
chemical_list: D001067:Appetite Depressants; D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D005277:Fenfluramine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine