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Biomedical subjects

H R Brunner

Publications and source records attributed to H R Brunner.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources

The renin-angiotensin system in refractory heart failure: clinical, hemodynamic and hormonal effects of captopril and enalapril.

Studies using a competitive inhibitor of angiotensin II (saralasin) or converting enzyme inhibitors (teprotide, captopril, enalapril) have established that the renin-angiotensin system participates in the control of vascular tone in congestive heart failure both in experimental settings and in patients. In man, the marked decrease in left ventricular filling pressure and the variable increase in stroke volume induced by renin-angiotensin blockade suggests that angiotensin II actively constricts venous as well as arteriolar vascular beds. Captopril, in doses of 25 to 150 mg p.o. TID, maintains its efficacy during chronic administration with persistent clinical and hemodynamic improvement as well as increased exercise tolerance. In our experience, enalapril, 10 mg p.o., improves cardiac function within 4 to 6 h as reflected by a 30% decrease in left ventricular filling pressure, a 28% increase in stroke volume in the face of unchanged heart rate. Clinical improvement, enhanced exercise tolerance and characteristic hormonal responses suggest that enalapril also maintains its efficacy during long-term treatment. Chronic angiotensin II converting enzyme inhibition appears to be a major advance in the treatment of patients with severe congestive heart failure, refractory to digitalis and diuretics.

Aldosterone↗

Pressor responses of rats to vasopressin: effect of sodium, angiotensin, and catecholamines.

The pressor response to lysine vasopressin was tested in groups of male Wistar, Brattleboro, Wistar-Kyoto, and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Moreover, the influence of sodium intake, angiotensin II, saralasin, captopril, norepinephrine, and isoproterenol on vasopressin pressor responses was evaluated. The right iliac artery and one or both femoral veins of the animals were catheterized under light ether anesthesia. The experiments were carried out following a 2-h stabilization period with the rats awake and semirestrained. Pressor responsiveness was evaluated acutely on the basis of dose-response curves (0.5-4 mU). In the Wistar rats, angiotensin II (10 and 30 ng/min) and isoproterenol (10 ng/min) markedly decreased the response to vasopressin, whereas variations in sodium intake and blood pressure per se did not seem to exert any influence. Norepinephrine (250 ng/min) slightly enhanced the pressor responsiveness to the smaller doses of lysine-vasopressin. Brattleboro rats with congenital diabetes insipidus were less sensitive to vasopressin than the other animals, and neither angiotensin II nor isoproterenol induced any change. In conclusion, the pressor responsiveness to vasopressin can vary considerably depending on several factors. These must be taken into account when evaluating the possible pressor role of vasopressin in experimental and clinical settings.

Angiotensin II↗

Plasma vasopressin in rats: effect of sodium, angiotensin, and catecholamines.

A radioimmunoassay was set up to measure plasma arginine vasopressin levels (AVP). Characteristics of the assay include a sensitivity to 0.25 pg, high specificity of the antibody, mean recovery of added unlabeled arginine vasopressin of 80%, and an interassay coefficient of variation of 7.6%. This assay was used to investigate the influence of various factors on plasma vasopressin levels in a total of 121 awake male rats. Blood samples obtained in Wistar rats via an indwelling arterial catheter yielded results similar to those following decapitation, i.e., 1.27 +/- 0.26 vs. 1.68 +/- 0.39 pg/ml. Forty-eight hour dehydration markedly increased plasma AVP to 21.8 +/- 2.39 pg/ml. AVP was less than 0.5 pg/ml in Brattleboro rats. Low and high sodium intake, angiotensin II infusion (10 and 30 ng/min), and converting enzyme inhibition by captopril (100 mg/kg) did not alter plasma AVP. During norepinephrine infusion (250 ng/min) plasma AVP rose to 5.28 +/- 1.29 pg/ml, whereas it tended to fall with isoproterenol infusion (10 ng/min). Plasma AVP was slightly higher in spontaneously hypertensive rats than in Wistar-Kyoto controls.

Angiotensin II↗

Blood pressure maintenance in awake dehydrated rats: renin, vasopressin, and sympathetic activity.

The role of vasopressin, the renin system, and sympathetic activity in sustaining blood pressure in the dehydrated state was investigated in normotensive nonanesthetized male Wistar rats. After 48-h dehydration, plasma arginine vasopressin was 14.0 +/- 1.7 pg/ml and plasma norepinephrine 0.46 +/- 0.05 ng/ml. In another group of rats in which the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (MK 421, 5 mg po twice daily) was administered throughout the dehydration period, blood pressure was reduced by more than 20% (P less than 0.001), and both plasma arginine vasopressin and norepinephrine were higher at 23.4 +/- 3.9 pg/ml (P less than 0.01) and 0.83 +/- 0.07 ng/ml (P less than 0.01), respectively. Taken together, in rats with or without converting enzyme blockade, there was an inverse correlation between mean blood pressure and plasma arginine vasopressin (r = 0.67, P less than 0.01) as well as plasma norepinephrine (r = 0.82, P less than 0.01) levels. The acute administration of a specific vasopressin pressor inhibitor (dPVDAVP) reduced mean blood pressure in the rats with a blocked renin system by 16.9 mmHg (P less than 0.001). In rats without converting enzyme inhibition, the induced fall was only 6.4 mmHg. These results indicate that following 48-h dehydration the renin angiotensin system interacts with the vasopressin secretory mechanism to sustain blood pressure, with renin playing a predominant role. They further suggest that, following blockade of the renin system, activation of the sympathetic nervous system probably also contributes to blood pressure maintenance.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

The clinical application of converting enzyme inhibitors.

Chronic blockade of the renin angiotensin system became possible when orally active inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme, the enzyme which catalyzes the transformation of angiotensin I into angiotensin II, were synthetized. Two compounds, captopril and enalapril, have been investigated in clinical studies. The decrease of the pressor response to exogenous angiotensin I and of the circulating levels of angiotensin II following administration of these inhibitors has been demonstrated to be directly related to the degree of suppression of plasma angiotensin converting enzyme activity. These inhibitors have been shown to normalize blood pressure alone in some hypertensive patients whereas in many others, satisfactory blood pressure control can be achieved only after the addition of a diuretic. Captopril and enalapril also markedly improve cardiac function of patients with chronic congestive heart failure. Chronic blockade of the renin angiotensin system has therefore provided an interesting new approach to the treatment of clinical hypertension and heart failure.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Influence of sodium diet and deoxycorticosterone on the response to norepinephrine, lysine-vasopressin and angiotensin II of isolated perfused rat mesenteric arteries.

The pressure response of isolated perfused mesenteric arteries to norepinephrine, lysine-vasopressin and angiotensin II was evaluated after feeding 3 different sodium diets and administration of deoxycorticosterone to the intact rats. Varying sodium diet did not consistently alter vascular responsiveness to the 3 pressor agonists. In contrast, the administration of deoxycorticosterone enhanced the responsiveness to lysine-vasopressin and particularly to angiotensin II. This enhanced responsiveness was equally present following a low or a high sodium diet. These results suggest that sodium intake of the intact animal has no consistent influence on the responsiveness of isolated mesenteric rat arteries, whereas deoxycorticosterone tends to enhance the vascular response independently of sodium.

Angiotensin II↗

Long-term clinical experience with enalapril in essential hypertension.

This study was undertaken to evaluate whether, after long-term enalapril administration tachyphylaxis to the blockade of angiotensin II (Ang II) generation occurs. After a mean follow-up of 24 months, six patients taking enalapril once daily with or without an associated diuretic were studied for 7 h in hospital. Blood pressure, heart rate, plasma converting enzyme activity, angiotension I (Ang I), Ang II and aldosterone were measured before and 2, 4 and 6 h after the morning dose of enalapril. While blood pressure remained unchanged after drug administration, Ang II and aldosterone levels fell following enalapril to very low levels, similar to those observed during the initial study, at the time of peak effect of enalapril. After enalapril administration, there was no correlation between plasma Ang I and Ang II suggesting that blockade of Ang II generation was complete, excluding the possibility of Ang I related interference with the Ang II measurements. These results indicate that virtually complete angiotension converting enzyme inhibition can still be achieved after prolonged use of enalapril.

Adult↗

Blood pressure dependency on vasopressin and angiotensin II in prazosin-treated conscious normotensive rats.

The role of the sympathetic nervous system, angiotensin II and vasopressin in limiting the hypotensive effect of prazosin (0.25 mg i.v.) was investigated in conscious normotensive rats. Within 45 min, mean blood pressure fell from 120 +/- 1 to 98 +/- 1 mm Hg (mean +/- S.E.M., P less than .001) while pulse rate rose from 463 +/- 9 to 500 +/- 9 beats/min (P less than .01). The blood pressure response to prazosin tended to be most pronounced in the rats with the smallest increase in heart rate (r = 0.58, P less than .001). Plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine levels were higher in prazosin-treated rats than in the controls (P less than .001). In the animals receiving prazosin, plasma renin activity was 4 times (P less than .001) and plasma vasopressin 7 times (P less than .01) higher than in the controls. Blockade of angiotensin II with saralasin (10 micrograms/min) further decreased blood pressure of the prazosin-treated rats by 22 +/- 4 mm Hg (P less than .001). In contrast, dPVDAVP (25 micrograms), a vasopressin antagonist, had no effect. Prazosin decreased the pressor response to methoxamine (10 micrograms) by 80% (P less than .001) but not to angiotensin II (60 ng). However, prazosin enhanced the reflex bradycardia induced by angiotensin II (P less than .001). These data demonstrate that both the sympathetic and the renin angiotensin system are markedly stimulated by prazosin; they both appear to limit its acute hypotensive action. In contrast, although plasma vasopressin is also increased, its pressor action is effectively buffered, probably due to enhanced baroreflex sensitivity.

Angiotensin II↗

Discontinuation of chronic haemodialysis after control of arterial hypertension; long term follow-up.

Five patients with varying chronic renal diseases had to be started on haemodialysis with malignant hypertension. After several months, dialysis treatment could be interrupted when long term blood pressure control had been attained. In three of them no long term complications were observed and renal function has continued to improve. In the two other patients, uncontrolled hypertension or acute infection made a return to haemodialysis imperative. In the case of malignant hypertension, the arteriolar necrosis has been shown to be reversible.

Adult↗

[New therapeutic approaches to arterial hypertension].

Today two largely new approaches are available for the treatment of clinical hypertension. First, captopril, an orally active angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, makes possible chronic blockade of the renin-angiotensin system. This compound, given alone or in combination with a diuretic, normalizes the blood pressure of most hypertensive patients. Unfortunately, because captopril may induce serious adverse effects the use of this inhibitor must be restricted to patients with high blood pressure refractory to conventional antihypertensive drugs. Second, compounds such as verapamil and nifedipine are capable of producing a marked vasodilating effect by inhibiting the entry of calcium into the vascular smooth muscle cells. However, the role of calcium channel blockers in the treatment of hypertensive disease awaits more precise definition.

Angiotensin II↗

Prediction of sustained antihypertensive efficacy of chronic captopril therapy: relationships to immediate blood pressure response and control plasma renin activity.

The blood pressure (BP) lowering effect of the orally active angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril (SQ14225), was studied in 59 hypertensive patients maintained on a constant sodium intake. Within 2 hours of the first dose of captopril BP fell from 171/107 to a maximum low of 142/92 mm Hg (p less than 0.001), and after 4 to 8 days to treatment BP averaged 145/94 mm Hg (p less than 0.001). The magnitude of BP drop induced by captopril was significantly correlated to baseline plasma renin activity (PRA) both during the acute phase (r = -0.38, p less than 0.01) and after the 4 to 8-day interval (r = -0.33, p less than 0.01). Because of considerable scatter in individual data, renin profiling was not precisely predictive of the immediate or delayed BP response of separate patients. However, the BP levels achieved following the initial dose of captopril were closely correlated to BP measured after 4 to 8 days of therapy, and appeared to have greater predictive value than control PRA of the long-term efficacy of chronic captopril therapy despite marked BP changes occurring in some patients during the intermediate period. Because of these intermediate BP changes, addition of a diuretic to enhance antihypertensive effectiveness of angiotensin blockade should be restrained for several days after initiation of captopril therapy.

Adult↗

Enalapril maleate and a lysine analogue (MK-521): disposition in man.

1 The disposition of two angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitor drugs was studied in normal volunteers. One drug was enalapril maleate (MK-421), which requires in vivo esterolysis to yield active inhibitor (MK-422). The other was a lysine analogue of MK-422 (MK-521), which requires no bioactivation. 2 Absorption of enalapril maleate (10 mg, p.o.) was rapid, with peak serum concentrations of enalapril observed 0.5-1.5 h after administration. Based upon urinary recovery of total drug (enalapril plus MK-422), absorption was at least 61%. Bioactivation appeared to be largely post-absorptive. From the ratio of MK-422 to total drug in urine, the minimum extent of bioactivation was estimated at 0.7. 3 A similar dose of MK-521 was absorbed more slowly, reaching peak serum concentrations 6-8 h following drug administration. Minimum absorption, based upon urinary recovery, was 29%. 4 Serum concentration v time profiles for both drugs were polyphasic and exhibited prolonged terminal phases. 5 Recovery in urine and faeces of administered enalapril maleate (intact and as MK-422) was 94%. Recovery of MK-521 was 97%. These results indicate lack of significant metabolism of these agents, apart from the bioactivation of enalapril.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗