Hypotensive drugs and the cellular energetic potential

Clinical and experimental investigations have revealed changes of the Na, K, Ca and Mg concentration in serum and cells in patients with essential arterial hypertension (EAH). Some hypotensive drugs correct, more or less, the electrolytic abnormalities at the same time as the decrease of arterial pressure. Epidemiological studies have shown a lower arterial blood pressure in populations with decreased intake of Na and an increased intake of K, Ca and Mg. However the most frequently encountered electrolyte anomaly in patients with EAH is hypophosphatemia, mainly induced by a shift of inorganic phosphate from serum into the cells. Probably the increased influx of inorganic phosphate from the serum, increases the arterial cellular energetic potential. As hypotensive drugs lead to a reduction of the inorganic phosphate shift from serum into the cells one may suggest that the obtained decrease of arterial blood pressure may be at least partially due to a diminished energetic potential of certain cells.