Handgrip increases endothelin-1 secretion in normotensive young male offspring of hypertensive parents.
OBJECTIVE
We tested the hypothesis that an abnormal response of plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) is elicited by handgrip exercise (HG) in young normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents.


BACKGROUND
It has been hypothesized that ET-1 is involved in blood pressure control and plays a pathophysiologic role in the development of clinical hypertension.


METHODS
Two groups of healthy male subjects, 11 with hypertensive parents (group A) and 10 without a family history of hypertension (group B), underwent 4 min of HG at 50% maximal capacity. Heart rate and blood pressure and plasma levels of ET-1, epinephrine and norepinephrine were measured at baseline, peak HG, and after 2 (R2) and 10 (R10) min of recovery.


RESULTS
Group A had higher norepinephrine levels than group B throughout the test (baseline 181+/-32 [SEM] vs. 96+/-12 pg/ml, p < 0.05; peak HG 467+/-45 vs. 158+/-12 pg/ml, p < 0.000001; R2 293+/-46 vs. 134+/-8 pg/ml, p < 0.01; RO1 214+/-27 vs. 129+/-10 pg/ml, p < 0.0005); no significant difference in epinephrine levels was detected. Compared with group B subjects, group A had higher baseline ET-1 levels (1.07+/-0.14 vs. 0.59+/-0.11 pg/ml, p < 0.02), which increased to a greater extent at peak HG (1.88+/-0.31 vs. 0.76+/-0.09 pg/ml, p < 0.005) and R2 (2.46+/-0.57 vs. 1.31+/-0.23 pg/ml, p < 0.05) and remained elevated at R10 (3.16+/-0.78 vs. 0.52+/-0.09 pg/ml, p < 0.002). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only a family history of hypertension (chi-square=7.59, p=0.0059) and ET-1 changes during HG (chi-square=4.23, p=0.0398) were predictive of blood pressure response to HG and that epinephrine and norepinephrine were not.


CONCLUSIONS
The response to HG in offspring of hypertensive parents produced increased ET-1 plasma levels and resulted in a sustained ET-1 release into the bloodstream during recovery compared with offspring of normotensive parents. This may be an important marker for future clinical hypertension.
Mangieri
E
E
Second Division of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiac Surgery, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Tanzilli
G
G
Barillà
F
F
Ciavolella
M
M
Puddu
P E
PE
De Angelis
C
C
Dell'Italia
L J
LJ
Campa
P P
PP
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D012016:Reference Values
D019332:Endothelin-1; D009638:Norepinephrine