Inflammation and therapy for hypertension.
It is currently accepted that hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes are disorders with subtle or overt activation of inflammatory mediators. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to ascertain whether current antihypertensive drug families have proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory actions that modify the outcomes of their hemodynamic effects on blood pressure. We review the current state of knowledge about the effects of the major classes of available antihypertensive agents on inflammation and speculate on the possible contribution of these effects to observations in clinical trials. We suggest that a strategy of drug development specifically addressing inflammation in hypertension may provide increased benefit in terms of target organ damage, and we describe some examples of these promising developments.
Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinics, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508, USA.
Cheryl L
CL
Laffer
Fernando
F
Elijovich
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016207:Cytokines / Q000187:drug effects; D018450:Disease Progression; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin / Q000187:drug effects; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid / Q000187:drug effects; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects; D049971:Thiazides / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D016207:Cytokines; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid; D049971:Thiazides