[Recent multi-center clinical studies about calcium blockade and cardiovascular diseases]
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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

A Semi-Automated and Reproducible Biological-Based Method to Quantify Calcium Deposition In Vitro
Published on: June 2, 2022
Kazuhiko Ishikawa1, Hiromi Rakugi, Toshio Ogihara
1Department of General Medicine, Osaka University Hospital.
Insights
Calcium channel blockers, like amlodipine, offer cardiovascular protection beyond blood pressure reduction. Further research is needed to compare their benefits against renin-angiotensin system inhibitors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
Context:
- Multi-center clinical studies investigate calcium (Ca) channel blockers and cardiovascular diseases.
- Organ protection beyond blood pressure lowering is a key research focus.
Purpose:
- To compare the cardiovascular protective effects of amlodipine (a Ca channel blocker) with angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I).
- To evaluate the role of Ca channel blockers in managing ischemic heart disease patients.
Summary:
- Amlodipine demonstrates superior cardiovascular protective effects compared to ARBs or ACE-I.
- While ARBs/ACE-I are more effective for kidney disease via renin-angiotensin (RA) inhibition, Ca channel blockers are preferred for blood pressure control in ischemic heart disease.
- Future studies should elucidate the comparative benefits of various Ca channel blockers and RA system drugs.
Impact:
- Highlights amlodipine's potential as a cardiovascular protective agent.
- Informs treatment choices for ischemic heart disease and kidney disease.
- Guides future research on cardiovascular drug efficacy and comparative benefits.
Abstract:
Recently, a lot of multi-center clinical studies about calcium (Ca) blockade and cardiovascular diseases have been investigated. Though the ability to reduce blood pressure is the most important thing, much attention is also paid to the effect of organ protection effect beyond blood pressure lowering. Compared to angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) or angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitor (ACE-I), amlodipine among Ca channel blockers shows excellent protective effect of cardiovascular disease. As specified to the kidney disease, renin-angiotensin (RA) inhibition by ARB or ACE-I is much effective than Ca blockade, however, Ca channel blocker is thought to be the first choice as for the blood pressure lowering of ischemic heart disease patients. From now on, further studies will be expected to prove not only the effect of RA system drugs, but also Ca channel blockers, moreover, to know the differences of benefit among many Ca channel blockers.
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