Temocapril, an Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, ameliorates age-related increase in carotid arterial stiffness in normotensive subjects.
OBJECTIVE
Oxidative stress plays an important role in vascular ageing. The close relationship of the renin-angiotensin system with mechanisms of oxidative stress suggests its possible involvement in the deleterious effects of ageing. The present study was designed to investigate whether inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system improves the age-related increase in arterial stiffness.


METHODS
Normotensive elderly subjects in a geriatric nursing home (n = 24; male/female = 7/17; 86 +/- 9 years, mean +/- SD) were randomly assigned to receive either an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, temocapril (n = 12, 1 mg daily) or nothing (n = 12). Carot id arterial stiffness parameter beta and circulating levels of malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein were measured before and 6 months after randomization.


RESULTS
Temocapril decreased beta (from 7.0 +/- 1.0 to 4.9 +/- 0.9, p < 0.05) and malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein levels (from 73.2 +/- 19.9 to 61.3 +/- 18.4 U/l, p < 0.05) without changing the blood pressure. The changes in beta and malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein levels were significantly correlated (rho = 0.600, p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that temocapril ameliorates the age-related increase in carotid arterial stiffness in healthy, normotensive elderly subjects.
Hayashi
Kunihiko
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya Kosein Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Miyagawa
Koichi
K
Sato
Koichi
K
Ueda
Ryuzo
R
Dohi
Yasuaki
Y