Effects of valsartan and indapamide on plasma cytokines in essential hypertension.

Objective: investigate and compare the effect of valsartan and indapamide on inflammatory cytokines in hypertension.

Methods: Forty-one untreated patients with mild to moderate hypertension and 20 age and sex-matched normotensives were enrolled in this study. Hypertensives were treated with indapamide 1.5 mg/d (n=20) or valsartan 80 mg/d (n=21) for 4 weeks, and blood samples for determining monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1alpha), sP-selectin, asymmetric dimethylarginin (ADMA), angiotensin II (Ang II), and 6-keto-PGF1alpha were collected before the treatment and 4 weeks after the treatment.

Results: Hypertensives exhibited significantly higher blood pressure, as well as elevated plasma levels of MCP-1, MIP-1alpha, sP-selectin and serum level of ADMA compared with the normotensives. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in serum 6-keto-PGF1alpha and Ang II between the hypertensives and the normotensives. After the treatment with indapamide or valsartan for 4 weeks, both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, though still higher than those of the normotensives, decreased markedly. After the treatment with indapamide for 4 weeks, MCP-1, MIP-1alpha and sP-selectin slightly decreased, but not statistically significant (P>0.05). Those cytokines decreased significantly after being treated with valsartan for 4 weeks [(19.16+/-3.11) pg/mL vs (16.08+/-2.67) pg/mL, P<0.05; (27.74+/-8.36) pg/mL vs (17.64+/-7.59) pg/mL, P<0.05; (2.67+/-3.18) pg/mL vs (6.15+/-2.94) pg/mL, P<0.01]. In the 2 treatment groups, 6-keto-PGF1alpha markedly increased [(61.96+/-20.81) pg/mL vs (96.72+/-25.89) pg/mL, P<0.05; (63.25+/-16.92) pg/mL vs (143.22+/-43.45) pg/mL, P<0.01]; ADMA decreased significantly [(1.35+/-0.74) pg/mL vs (0.98+/-0.56) micromol/L, P<0.05; (1.31+/-0.68) pg/mL vs (0.71+/-0.52) micromol/L, P<0.01]. Though Ang II slightly increased, no statistical significance was found (P>0.05).

Conclusion: The levels of MCP-1, MIP-1alpha, sP-selectin and ADMA were elevated in mild to moderate hypertensives. Valsartan and indapamide have similar blood pressure lowering effect. Valasartan exerts more significant effect on cytokines than indapamide does.