title: Regulation of aldosterone secretion in patients with chronic congestive heart failure by endothelins.
abstract: We studied acute (day 1) and long-term (day 14) effects of endothelin (ET) receptor blockade with the mixed ET(A/B) antagonist bosentan (1 g twice daily; n = 18) or placebo (n = 12) on plasma angiotensin II and aldosterone in 30 patients with symptomatic chronic heart failure taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, diuretics, and digoxin. Hormones were determined before and 3 hours after morning doses of diuretics and digoxin and the double-blind study drug, respectively, on days 1 and 14. On day 1, angiotensin II increased from 16.1+/-17.9 to 27.6+/-5.6 ng/L (p <0.05) with bosentan and similarly with placebo (15.5+/-9.3 and 36.0+/-49.1 ng/L, p = 0.06) after the morning dose of diuretics and digoxin. Aldosterone tended to increase from 322+/-239 to 362+/-254 pmol/L (bosentan) and from 271+/-70 to 297+/-136 pmol/L (placebo). On day 14, before drug intake, angiotensin II was unchanged compared with day 1 in both groups. However, aldosterone was lower than on day 1 with bosentan (213+/-124 vs. 322+/-239 pmol/L, p<0.05) and remained below baseline values 3 hours after drug intake, whereas it was unchanged with placebo. Thus, short-term ET(A/B) receptor antagonism decreases basal aldosterone secretion independently of angiotensin II, suggesting that ET participates in the regulation of aldosterone in patients already treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and diuretics.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. karsug@usz.unizh.ch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sütsch
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bertel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rickenbacher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clozel
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Yandle
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kiowski
mesh_terms: D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000097:blood; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077300:Bosentan; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D016232:Endothelins / Q000502:physiology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D016232:Endothelins; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000804:Angiotensin II; D000450:Aldosterone; D000077300:Bosentan