Volume 4, Number 2, June 2007

Thiazolidinediones inhibit the progression of established hypertension in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat
Charles W Bolten, Maria A Payne, William G Mcdonald, Patrick M Blanner, Robert C Chott, Sarbani Ghosh, Graciela B Arhancet, Nicholas R Staten, Eric A Gulve, Patrick M Sullivan, Alexander E Hromockyj, Jerry R Colca

We evaluated the effects of two thiazolidinediones (TZDs), the potent PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone currently being used to treat diabetes, and a structurally similar experimental compound that is a poor PPARγ agonist, in a non-diabetic, established hypertension model with continuous measurement of blood pressure by telemetry. Hypertension was induced in male Dahl saltsensitive rats by a three-week pre-treatment with 4% salt before initiation of treatment. Fasting blood samples were taken for analysis of a biomarker panel to assess metabolic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of the treatments. Both TZDs significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. When used at the maximally effective doses established for metabolic improvement, both compounds produced equivalent reduction in lipids and elevation of adiponectin, yet the poorer PPARγ agonist produced significantly greater reductions in blood pressure. Neither compound had a significant effect on circulating glucose or insulin in this animal model.
The data demonstrate that these TZDs lower blood pressure significantly in Dahl rats and that this cardiovascular pharmacology is not directly correlated with the metabolic actions or with the magnitude of PPARγ activation. These data suggest that it may be possible to find insulin-sensitising agents that have beneficial cardiovascular pharmacology with broad applications for disease prevention.

Diabetes Vasc Dis Res 2007;4:117-123.

View full PDF article (open in new window)
Email this article

Right click on this DOI link and copy link to cite this article (What is a DOI link?)