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Updated: May 11, 2026

The Antihypertensive Effects and Mechanisms of Huotan Jiedu Tongluo Decoction in Rats with H-Type Hypertension
Published on: May 17, 2024
Antihypertensive treatment improves microvascular rarefaction and reactivity in low-risk hypertensive individuals
Sérgio E Kaiser1, Antonio F Sanjuliani, Vanessa Estato
1Clinical and Experimental Pathophysiology Unit, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Objective:
To test whether long-term antihypertensive treatment with metoprolol succinate (a β₁-adrenoceptor blocker) or olmesartan medoxomil (an angiotensin II AT₁-receptor blocker) reverses microvascular dysfunction in hypertensive patients.
Methods:
This study included 44 hypertensive outpatients and 20 age and sex-matched healthy controls. We used skin capillaroscopy to measure capillary density and recruitment at rest and during PORH. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation of skin microcirculation was evaluated with a LDPM system in combination with ACh iontophoresis, PORH, and LTH.
Results:
Pretreatment capillary density in hypertensive patients was significantly reduced compared with controls (71.3 ± 1.5 vs. 80.6 ± 1.8 cap/mm²; p < 0.001), as was PORH (71.7 ± 1.5 vs. 79.5 ± 2.6 cap/mm²; p < 0.05). After treatment for six months, capillary density increased to 75.4 ± 1.1 cap/mm² (p < 0.01) at rest and 76.8 ± 1.1 cap/mm² during PORH. During LTH, CVC in perfusion units (PU)/mmHg was similar in patients (1.71 [1.31-2.12]) and controls (1.60 [1.12-1.91]) and increased significantly (1.82 [1.30-2.20]) after treatment. Maximal CVC during PORH was reduced in hypertensive patients (0.30 [0.22-0.39]) compared to controls (0.39 [0.31-0.49], p < 0.001) and increased (0.41 [0.29-0.51], p < 0.001) after treatment.
Conclusions:
Capillary rarefaction and microvascular endothelial dysfunction in hypertensive patients responded favorably to long-term pharmacological treatment.
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