[Effect of antihypertensive agents on plasma endothelin, nitric oxide and so on in essential hypertension]

Ninty patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension (EH) were randomly divided into three groups and treated with Enalapril (E), Metoprolol (M) and Nifedipine (N) respectively. After a six-week-treatment, SBP and DBP of each of the three groups decreased significantly (vs. pre-treatment, P < 0.001). Plasma concentration of ET, NO, cGAMP and MDA in group M remained unchanged, and that of MDA in group N, especially of the stage II EH, decreased remarkably (vs. pretreatment, P < 0.05; vs. that of stage I EH, P < 0.05). While that of ET, NO, cGMP, and MDA in group E changed significantly (vs. Pretreatment, P < 0.01) and that of ET and MDA of stage II EH in group E exhibited more remarkable changes (vs. that of stage I, P < 0.05). It is suggested that E, and at some degree N, may protect the vascular endothelium from being damaged in EH, and also may contribute to prevent EH from development.