Differential effects of strict blood pressure lowering by losartan/hydrochlorothiazide combination therapy and high-dose amlodipine monotherapy on microalbuminuria: the ALPHABET study

Clinical studies on pharmacological treatment of hypertension in Japan

Differences in the epidemiology and phenotypes of hypertension in Japan compared with Western countries mean that optimal approaches to the pharmacological management of hypertension should be based on local data. Fortunately, there is a large body of evidence from studies conducted in Japanese populations to inform guidelines and treatment decisions. This article highlights treatment recommendations and BP targets for Japanese patients with hypertension, and summarizes key literature supporting these recommendations. The latest version of the Japanese Society of Hypertension (JSH) guidelines is consistent with US and European guidelines in recommending that the general BP target should be <130/80 mmHg for office blood pressure (BP) and <125/75 mmHg for home BP. There is good local evidence to support these targets. The JSH guidelines also strongly recommend that antihypertensive therapy is managed and monitored based on home BP, due to the closer association of this parameter with cardiovascular risk compared with office BP. Japan is a leader in out-of-office BP research, meaning that there is good evidence for the Japanese recommendations. Key features of antihypertensive agents for use in Japanese patients with hypertension include the ability to reduce stroke risk provide antihypertensive efficacy throughout the 24-h dosing period. Calcium channel blockers appear to be particularly effective in Asian populations, and are the most commonly prescribed agents in Japan. Again consistent with international recommendations, antihypertensive therapy should be started with a combination of agents to maximize the chances of achieving target BP.

Rat mRNA expression profiles associated with inhibition of ischemic acute kidney injury by losartan

Objective: Losartan was reported to inhibit the progression of acute kidney injury (AKI), but little is known about the underlying pharmacological mechanisms. In the present study, the mRNA expression profiles in ischemic AKI rat kidney altered by losartan treatment were analyzed by next-generation deep sequencing technology.Methods: Ischemia and reperfusion treatment was applied to induce AKI in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The urea and creatinine contents in rat blood were measured. H&E staining was performed to evaluate the histological alteration of rat kidney tissues under a microscope. The TUNEL method was applied to analyze apoptosis in rat kidney tissues. The mRNA profiles in rat kidney were analyzed using next-generation deep sequencing. Differential gene expression was confirmed by quantitative qRT-PCR.Results: The rat model of AKI induced by ischemia and reperfusion showed significant increases in urea and creatinine levels, accompanied by a disrupted kidney tubular structure and renal cell apoptosis. Losartan treatment effectively inhibited the changes in urea and creatinine, tubular structure, and apoptosis in AKI rat kidney. A large number of mRNAs were found to be differentially expressed in the kidneys of AKI rats treated with losartan, which are involved in multiple processes and signaling pathways. The expression of nine differentially expressed genes such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2) and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) was confirmed by qRT-PCR and Western blot.Conclusion: Losartan caused significant alterations in the gene expression profile in AKI rat kidney, which mediated its anti-AKI effects.

Uptitrating amlodipine significantly reduces blood pressure in diabetic patients with hypertension: a retrospective, pooled analysis

Diabetic patients with hypertension are approximately twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease as non-diabetic patients with hypertension. Given that hypertension affects ∼60% of patients with diabetes, effective blood pressure (BP) management is important in this high-risk population. This post-hoc analysis pooled data from six clinical studies to quantify additional BP efficacy achieved when titrating hypertensive diabetic patients from amlodipine 5 mg to 10 mg. Approximately half of the diabetic patients were male (44/98; 44.9%) with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 60.6 (9.6) years and a baseline mean (standard error [SE]) systolic blood pressure/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) of 150.8 (1.30)/87.5 (0.94) mmHg while on amlodipine 5 mg (159.1 [1.40]/92.6 [0.94] mmHg prior to treatment). In comparison, 350/610 (57.4%) non-diabetic patients were male with a mean (SD) age of 58.7 (11.1) years and baseline mean (SE) SBP/DBP of 150.3 (0.62)/90.9 (0.41) mmHg while on amlodipine 5 mg (160.0 [0.67]/96.2 [0.45] mmHg prior to treatment). Increasing amlodipine from 5 mg to 10 mg lowered sitting SBP by -12.5 mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI): -15.5, -9.5; P<0.0001) and DBP by -6.0 mmHg (-7.4, -4.6; P<0.0001) in diabetic patients; and SBP by -12.4 mmHg (-13.5, -11.3; P<0.0001) and DBP by -7.3 mmHg (-8.0, -6.7; P<0.0001) in non-diabetic patients. In total, 12.0% (95% CI: 6.4, 20.0) of diabetic patients achieved their BP goal versus 46.4% (42.4, 50.4) of non-diabetic patients after titration to amlodipine 10 mg. Overall, 22.0% of diabetic patients experienced 31 adverse events (AEs) and 28.9% of non-diabetic patients experienced 282 AEs. Serious AEs were reported by one (1.0%) diabetic and five (0.8%) non-diabetic patients. In this analysis, increasing amlodipine from 5 mg to 10 mg produced a clinically significant reduction in the BP of diabetic hypertensive patients, similar to non-diabetic patients, highlighting the importance of optimizing amlodipine titration in this high-risk population.

The fixed-dose combination of losartan/hydrochlorothiazide elicits potent blood pressure lowering during nighttime in obese hypertensive patients

Background

Hypertension is one of the most powerful predictor of the future cardiovascular events, and antihypertensive therapy adopting multiple drug regimen is often needed to obtain the appropriate blood pressure (BP) control. To clarify the blood pressure-lowering effect of the fixed-dose combination (FDC) of an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) and diuretic agent in poorly controlled hypertensive patients, we intended a multicenter prospective observational study (Investigation for Normalized Blood pressure control with the Appropriate medication: INBA) by means of the sequential ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).

Methods

One hundred and thirteen hypertensive patients who had not achieved the target BP control proposed in the guidelines with medication containing any ARB but without diuretic agents (54 men; mean age, 66 years old; mean office systolic/diastolic BP (SBP/DBP), 158/82 mmHg) were enrolled. Daytime and nighttime blood pressures were assessed with ABPM before and at 12 weeks after switching the ARB to the FDC of 50 mg of losartan, and 12.5 mg of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).

Results

Daytime SBP/DBP (mean ± SD) decreased from 151 ± 14/88 ± 8 mmHg to 140 ± 11/82 ± 8 mmHg (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively), and nocturnal SBP/DBP from 138 ± 18/78 ± 9 mmHg to 125 ± 14/72 ± 9 mmHg (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively) during the 12 weeks treatment. Pulse rate did not change irrespective of the time window. Among various parameters (age, history of hypertension, body mass index (BMI), serum potassium, uric acid, estimated glomerular filtration rate, plasma B-type natriuretic peptide), BMI alone showed significant negative correlation with 12-weeks reduction in nocturnal SBP (r = -0.43, P < 0.05). No parameters correlated with reduction in daytime SBP during this period. Patients with BMI ≥ median (25.8 kg/m²) showed significantly greater reduction in nocturnal SBP for 12 weeks than patients with BMI < median (20.1 ± 15.6 mmHg vs 6.1 ± 10.9 mmHg, P < 0.001) although reduction in daytime SBP was comparable between the two groups (8.9 ± 13.5 mmHg vs 11.9 ± 12.7 mmHg).

Conclusions

The administration of the FDC of losartan/HCTZ lowers BP both in day- and nighttime, and the nocturnal antihypertensive potency is remarkable in obese patients.

Titration of amlodipine to higher doses: a comparison of Asian and Western experience

In this retrospective analysis, data pooled from two Phase III/IV open-label Asian studies were used to quantify the additional blood pressure efficacy achieved when titrating amlodipine from 5 mg to 10 mg in mild/moderate hypertensive patients, and compared to data pooled from three Western studies. The primary efficacy end point was the change from baseline in sitting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) to the specified time point (4–8 weeks, depending on the trial). For the Asian analysis (n=174), both mean SBP and DBP were significantly decreased at the final visit (SBP −13.3 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [CI] −15.5 to −11.0; DBP −9.2 mmHg, 95% CI −10.6 to −7.8; both P<0.0001). These results were similar to the Western analysis (n=369; SBP −11.5 mmHg, 95% CI −13.1 to −10.0; DBP −6.3, 95% CI −7.1 to −5.5; both P<0.0001). In summary, titration of amlodipine from 5 mg to 10 mg significantly decreased both SBP and DBP in Asian patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension.

Low-grade inflammation and ambulatory blood pressure response to antihypertensive treatment: the ALPHABET study

BACKGROUND

We examined whether the level of highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of low-grade inflammation, predicted the response of clinic and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) to antihypertensive treatment.

METHODS

A randomized, open-label, multicenter trial was performed in 88 hypertensive patients (mean age = 63.4 years) allocated to receive losartan 50 mg or amlodipine 5 mg for 4 weeks, and each treatment was changed to losartan 50 mg/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 12.5 mg in combination or amlodipine 10 mg for a further 4 weeks. Clinic and ambulatory BP were measured before and after 8 weeks of treatment, and hsCRP was measured at baseline.

RESULTS

The patients were divided into groups with hsCRP levels above and below the median (0.47 mg/L) for the study population. In the total population, 24-hour systolic BP (SBP) (P = 0.03) and daytime SBP (P = 0.01) were significantly higher in the above-median hsCRP group after 8 weeks of treatment. In multivariable regression analysis, baseline hsCRP was a significant determinant of the percentage change in daytime SBP (β = 0.29; P = 0.02) in the total population. In the losartan/HCTZ treatment group, changes in 24-hour SBP, daytime SBP, and diastolic BP were significantly smaller in the above-median hsCRP group than the below-median hsCRP group, whereas the amlodipine group did not show these differences.

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline low-grade inflammation in patients with hypertension was associated with a poor ambulatory BP response, especially with losartan/HCTZ treatment. Initial measurement of hsCRP could be useful for selection of an appropriate antihypertensive drug.

Amlodipine seems to be superior to valsartan in decreasing microalbuminuria in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients: a novel effect to be explained with hyperfiltration?

BACKGROUND

Microalbuminuria (MA) is common in hypertensive population and is a marker for endothelial dysfunction and a predictor of increased cardiovascular risk. A great body of data shows the importance of MA as a strong predictor of renal and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in hypertensive population.

AIM

In this study, we aimed to compare the anti-albuminuric effects of an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, valsartan, with a calcium channel blocker, amlodipine, in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Totally, 20 patients were recruited into the study. Patients were randomized to one of the following intervention protocols: An (a) angiotensin II receptor blocker (valsartan, 80-320 mg/day) or (b) calcium channel blocker (amlodipine, 5-10 mg/day), for 12 weeks immediately after baseline measurements. Ten patients were randomized into valsartan group and 10 patients into the amlodipine group. Twenty-four-hour urinary albumin excretion (UAE) levels of the patient groups were measured before treatment and on the 12th week.

RESULTS

Patients of the two groups were matched for age and body mass index. In the amlodipine group, baseline urine microalbumin levels were higher compared to valsartan group, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.082). At the 12th week, there was a significant decrease in urine microalbumin levels in the amlodipine group, but no significant change was observed in the valsartan group.

CONCLUSION

Amlodipine seems to be superior to valsartan in decreasing UAE. To reduce cardiovascular risks, endothelial dysfunction, and microinflammation, these factors are taken into consideration while prescribing antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive patients.