title: Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant status in essential arterial hypertension during therapy with dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate reactive oxygen species and antioxidant status in essential arterial hypertension during therapy with dihydropiridine calcium channel antagonists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen patients, affected by essential arterial hypertension, were examined. They received once a day oral dihydropyridine calcium antagonists for 10 weeks: five patients received felodipine (5 mg), five amlodipine (10 mg) and five lercanidipine (10 mg). The levels of end products of lipid peroxidation, free radicals and hydroperoxides and total antioxidant capacity were determined in the plasma of all subjects before and during treatment. Values are expressed as mean +/- S.E. Systolic blood pressure decreased from 171 +/- 4 to 135 +/- 6 mmHg (p < 0.01) and diastolic blood pressure decreased from 99 +/- 5 to 82 +/- 3 mmHg (p < 0.01). Hydroperoxides and free radicals decreased from 321.3 +/- 8.96 to 247.9 +/- 8.69 units (p < 0.01) and the end products of lipid peroxidation decreased from 11.0 +/- 1.93 to 6.74 +/- 1.41 nmol/ml (p < 0.01). Total antioxidant capacity increased from 0.74 +/- 0.03 to 1.05 +/- 0.05 mmol/l (p < 0.01).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Imbalance in the pro-oxidant-antioxidant equilibrium shifts in favour of antioxydant namely oxidative stress decreases. The calcium channel antagonists decrease peripheral arterial resistances and therefore decrease or abolish relative ischaemia, moreover decrease arterial pressure and therefore normalize parietal stress on endothelial cells. As a conseguence they act on two hypothesized mechanisms of oxidative stress in hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dihydropyridine calcium antagonists used in this trial seem useful in hypertension because they decrease oxidative stress, and normalize of pressure values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Florence Medical School, Italia.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Digiesi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fiorillo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cosmi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossetti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenuzza
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guidi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rizzuti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nassi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C038806:1,4-dihydropyridine