title: Vasodilator effects of red wines in subcutaneous small resistance artery of patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been suggested that in animal models, red wine may have a protective effect on the vascular endothelium. However, it is not known whether this effect is also present in human small vessels and whether it is specific for certain wines. The objective of this study is to compare the vasodilator effects in subcutaneous small resistance arteries of wines with different flavonoid content as well as of ethanol vs. wines in normotensive (NT) subjects and in patients with essential hypertension (EH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six EH and 27 NT were included in the study. Subcutaneous small resistance arteries were dissected and mounted on a micromyograph. Then we evaluated vasodilator responses as concentration-response curves (20, 30, and 50 microl) to the following items: (i) a red wine produced in small oak barrels ("en barrique": EB) (Barolo Oberto 1994), (ii) a red wine produced in large wood barrels (LB) (Barolo Scarzello 1989), (iii) a red wine produced in steel tanks (Albarello Rosso del Salento 1997), and (iv) a white wine produced in steel tanks in the presence or absence of an inhibitor of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (L-NMMA 100 micromol/l).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A dose-dependent vasodilator effect of red wines (particularly EB and LB) was detected in both NT and HT. The observed response was not reduced after preincubation with L-NMMA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest red wines are more potent vasodilator than ethanol alone, possibly depending on the content of polyphenols or tannic acid. HT show similar responses compared with NT, indicating that red wine is not harmful in this population.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Medica, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Porteri
authors.forename: Damiano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rizzoni
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Ciuceis
authors.forename: Gianluca E M
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Boari
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Platto
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilu
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miclini
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agabiti Rosei
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bulgari
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agabiti Rosei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000431:Ethanol