A Comparative Study of Four Anti-hypertensive Agents on Endothelial Function in Patients With Coronary Disease

Zofenopril in the treatment of patients with arterial hypertension and stable coronary heart disease: effects on oxidative stress and flowdependent vasodilatation

Aim. To compare the effects of ACE inhibitors zofenopril and perindopril on endothelial function and oxidative stress (OS) in patients with stable CHD and AH. Material and methods. In total, 40 patients with stable CHD (Functional Class II-III effort angina) and Stage 1-2 AH received zofenopril (7,5-30 mg/d; mean dose 18,6±8,8 mg/d; n=17) or perindopril (2-8 mg/d; mean dose 4,1±2,1 mg/d; n=23) for 12 weeks. At baseline and in the end of the study, all patients underwent reactive hyperemia test (RHT), to assess flow-dependent vasodilatation of brachial artery, and the measurement of OS parameters (malone dialdehyde, MDA, in low-density lipoproteins, MDALDL) and antioxidant parameters (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPO) activity in erythrocytes).

Results. In both groups, a similar reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels was observed. In the zofenopril group, a significant elevation in brachial artery diameter increase during RHT, a significant increase in GPO activity, and some reduction in MDALDL levels were observed, which points to antioxidant system (AOS) activation and OS reduction. No similar changes of these parameters were observed in the perindopril group. Conclusion. In patients with stable CHD and AH, zofenopril, but not perindopril, reduced OS severity and increased AOS system activity, which was associated with improved endothelial-dependent vasodilatation.

Overview of the relationship between ischemia and congestive heart failure

Ischemic heart disease is the principal etiology of heart failure in the Western world. Myocardial ischemia is important in cardiac remodeling, a process that leads to a progressive change in the shape and size of the heart and significantly worsens the prognosis of patients with heart failure. Preventing ischemic events, therefore, is an important goal in the management of patients with coronary artery disease. Statins have been shown to reduce the number of ischemic events in these patients, whereas the benefit of beta-blocker and aldosterone antagonist therapy on ischemic causes of heart failure remains unclear. Several large trials involving patients with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction or heart failure have shown that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce the incidence of progressive heart failure, death, and ischemic events, thus establishing ACE inhibitors as first-line therapy for these patients. Other lines of evidence have suggested that ACE inhibitor therapy may also benefit patients with preserved left ventricular function, a hypothesis that is being evaluated in three large, controlled, randomized trials. One of these trials, the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) study, was terminated prematurely because it demonstrated the significant positive effects of the ACE inhibitor ramipril on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease and preserved left ventricular function. A growing body of data confirms the relationship between ischemia and heart failure and the benefits of ACE inhibitor treatment in a broad range of high-risk patients.

High tissue affinity angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors improve endothelial function and reduce infarct size

BACKGROUND

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors differ in their ability to inhibit tissue ACE. This study was, therefore, undertaken to determine whether high tissue affinity ACE inhibitors would improve endothelial function and thereby decrease tissue necrosis during ischemia.

METHODS

In a porcine model, the second and third diagonal vessels were occluded for 90 minutes, followed by 45 minutes of cardioplegic arrest and 180 minutes of reperfusion. During the period of coronary occlusion, 10 pigs received enalaprilat (low affinity tissue ACE inhibitor), 0.05 mg/kg intravenously, 10 received quinaprilat (high affinity tissue ACE inhibitor), 10 mg intravenously, and 10 others received no ACE inhibitor.

RESULTS

Wall motion scores (4, normal, to -1, dyskinesia) were higher in animals treated with ACE inhibitors (3.20+/-0.15 SE enalaprilat versus 3.08+/-0.23 quinaprilat versus 1.52+/-0.07 no ACE; both p < 0.0001 from no ACE). Endothelial-dependent relaxation to bradykinin was best preserved in the quinaprilat-treated hearts (32.1%+/-7.6% enalaprilat versus 65.8%+/-12.6% quinaprilat versus 30.6%+/-10.7% no ACE; p < 0.0001 from no ACE; p < 0.005 from enalaprilat). This was associated with a greater reduction in infarct size: area necrosis/area risk 24.3%+/-0.8% enalaprilat (p < 0.0001 from no ACE) versus 14.3%+/-3.2% quinaprilat (p < 0.0001 from no ACE; p < 0.005 from enalaprilat) versus 40.0%+/-1.7% no ACE.

CONCLUSIONS

ACE inhibitors with higher affinity to tissue ACE result in better preservation of endothelial function and less tissue necrosis during coronary revascularization.

Noninvasive determination of endothelium-mediated vasodilation as a screening test for coronary artery disease: pilot study to assess the predictive value in comparison with angina pectoris, exercise electrocardiography, and myocardial perfusion imaging

BACKGROUND

Peripheral endothelial dysfunction (ED) quantified by the determination of flow-mediated dilation (FMD%) of the brachial artery with the use of high-resolution ultrasound is an early marker of atherosclerosis. Although a positive correlation with coronary artery disease (CAD) has been reported, the unanswered clinical question is the validity of FMD% as a screening test in patients with clinical suspicion of CAD. Thus the aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of FMD% compared with angina pectoris, exercise electrocardiography, and myocardial perfusion imaging.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this pilot study, we measured ED in 122 patients scheduled for coronary angiography by using high-resolution ultrasound (13 MHz). We defined ED as FMD% </=4.5%. The presence of CAD was defined as angiographically detectable atherosclerotic vessel alterations of any degree. Exercise electrocardiography and myocardial perfusion imaging had been performed on an outpatient basis. Statistical analysis was conducted by analysis of variance and Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test. Patients with CAD (n = 101) had a significantly lower FMD% than patients without CAD (n = 21; 3.7% +/- 4.1% vs 7.01% +/- 3.5%, P <.001). A sensitivity of 71%, a specificity of 81% with a positive predictive value of 0.95 (72 of 76), and a negative predictive value of 0.41 (17 of 46) was calculated. In comparison to angina pectoris (sensitivity 95%, specificity 47.6%), exercise electrocardiography (sensitivity 82.4%, specificity 57.1%) and myocardial perfusion imaging (sensitivity in our study group 100%) had the best specificity, and a high sensitivity for FMD% was found.

CONCLUSIONS

The determination of ED was found to be a sensitive and specific screening test to predict the presence of CAD. Because this is a noninvasive, nonradioactive, and cost-effective approach, it warrants further evaluation to determine its value in daily clinical practice as an additional screening test in the diagnosis of CAD.