title: Amlodipine increases nitric oxide production in exhaled air during exercise in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endothelial production of nitric oxide (NO) is attenuated in patients with essential hypertension. We investigated whether treatment with amlodipine increased exhaled NO output (VNO) at rest and during exercise in patients with essential hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the effect of amlodipine in seven untreated hypertensive patients. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing and NO measurement of exhaled air were performed on these patients before and after 2 months of amlodipine treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Amlodipine decreased blood pressure (BP) both at rest and during exercise (at rest: 147.1 +/- 6.4 [SEM]/89.9 +/- 4.4 v 133.6 +/- 5.4/82.7 +/- 3.9 mm Hg, P <.05; at peak exercise: 224.9 +/- 8.0/113.1 +/- 5.3 v 207.0 +/- 6.0/100.7 +/- 5.0 mm Hg, P <.05) without affecting heart rate (at rest: 67.6 +/- 3.9 v 70.4 +/- 4.5 beats/min, P =.33; peak exercise: 146.4 +/- 7.4 v 144.0 +/- 7.2 beats/min, P =.49). Amlodipine did not affect minute ventilation (VE) at rest or during exercise. It did not alter anaerobic threshold, peak oxygen uptake (peak VO(2)), or peak workload. However, after amlodipine treatment, VNO was significantly greater both at rest (130.8 +/- 19.4 v 180.4 +/- 24.8 nL/min, P <.05) and at peak exercise (380.0 +/- 47.5 v 582.6 +/- 74.3 nL/min, P <.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Amlodipine increased NO production, at least in the pulmonary circulation, in patients with essential hypertension. In addition to its antihypertensive effect, the enhancement of NO production by amlodipine in the vasculature of other organs may contribute to its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. mkato-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: Kuniaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasawa
authors.forename: Katsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Seiryo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugiura
authors.forename: Yasunobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Ryozo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017311:Amlodipine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001944:Breath Tests; D015444:Exercise; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D017311:Amlodipine; D009569:Nitric Oxide