title: Effects of an angiotensin II receptor blocker on the impaired function of endothelial progenitor cells in patients with essential hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) induce neovascularization and repair vascular damage. We have demonstrated that EPC function is impaired in hypertensive rats with increases in oxidative stress and that angiotensin II receptor blockers improved the impaired function of EPCs. In this study, we investigated basal EPC functions in normotensive control subjects and patients with essential hypertension and the effect of losartan on EPC function in hypertensive patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen normotensive control subjects and 36 patients with essential hypertension who were undergoing treatment participated in the study. Hypertensive patients were randomly selected to receive 50mg of losartan or 4 mg of trichlormethiazide daily for 4 weeks. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and cultured to assay EPC colony formation. Blood pressure, biological examination, and oxidative stress were evaluated in all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of EPC colonies was significantly lower in patients with essential hypertension than in normotensive control subjects. EPC colony number was significantly and inversely correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure in all subjects. EPC colony number was significantly increased by treatment with losartan in patients with essential hypertension but not affected by treatment with trichlormethiazide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EPC function was inversely correlated with blood pressure and was impaired in essential hypertension. Losartan significantly improved the impaired EPC function in hypertensive patients. Impaired EPC function may determine the cardiovascular complications in essential hypertension. The improvement of EPC function with the administration of angiotensin II receptor blockers is considered to be one of the cardiovascular protective effects.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology Hypertension and Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katakawa
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsunemi
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tahira
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soma
mesh_terms: D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007564:Japan; D019808:Losartan / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014237:Trichlormethiazide / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D004232:Diuretics; D019808:Losartan; D014237:Trichlormethiazide
keywords: angiotensin II receptor blocker; blood pressure; colony formation; endothelial progenitor cell; essential hypertension; human; hypertension.