[Calcium channel blockers and tissue remodeling in hypertension]

Calcium channel blockers and tissue remodeling in hypertension. Calcium channel blockers (calcium antagonists) are members of various chemical groups. They share the ability to inhibit calcium entry into depolarized smooth muscle cells. This results in reduction of vascular tone and vasodilatation. This action is the rationale for their use in the management of hypertension. The purpose of this paper is to summarize recent experiments aiming to test the hypothesis that the long term effects of calcium channel blockers are not related to reduction of hemodynamic overload.