title: Evaluation of nutritional and biochemical parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats following antihypertensive treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One side effect of antihypertensive drugs is their impact on nutritional status and metabolism. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional and biochemical parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats following treatment with antihypertensive drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experiment was performed on 50 male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which were assigned to five groups: control (C), with perindopril (PR), with metoprolol (MT), with indapamide (ID), and with amlodipine (AM). All rats were provided ad libitum standard diet (with or without drugs) and distilled water. After 45 days, the animals were weighed and killed. Liver, kidney, heart, spleen, pancreas, and blood samples were collected. Concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and albumin were assayed in serum. Morphology parameters, such as white blood cell, red blood cell, hematocrit, and lymphocyte counts were measured in the blood. Blood pressure was measured using a tail-cuff plethysmograph.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results obtained indicate that the hypotensive drugs under investigation had no effect on the selected nutritional parameters. Perindopril significantly decreased the relative mass of the heart and amlodipine markedly decreased the relative mass of the pancreas. A markedly higher concentration of glucose in the group with indapamid, and a significantly lower concentration of triglycerides in the group with metoprolol, were observed. Indapamide and amlodipine markedly increased the value of red blood cells and hematocrit in the blood of SHR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term therapy with antihypertension drugs may influence tissue mass and biochemical and morphological status in the body.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition and Hygiene, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suliburska
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Metabolic Disorders and Hypertension, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bogdański
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition and Hygiene, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Krejpcio
mesh_terms: D017311:Amlodipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018565:Food-Drug Interactions; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D007190:Indapamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D020913:Perindopril / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D017311:Amlodipine; D007190:Indapamide; D020913:Perindopril