Initial reduction of oxidative stress by angiotensin receptor blocker contributes long term outcomes after...

It remains unclear whether administration of ARB with reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging effects improves the prognosis of patients undergoing PCI.

This study investigated whether the pre-intervention antioxidant effect of angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) affects long-term outcomes in patients after successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) without early adverse events.

Fifty-two patients who underwent elective PCI were randomly assigned for treatment with or without ARB, which was administered within 48 hours before PCI. ROS levels in mononuclear cells (MNCs) and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured pre-PCI and 6 months post-PCI. After exclusion of unexpected early adverse events during angiographic follow-up period, the long-term outcome (major adverse cerebro-cardiovascular event; MACCE) was assessed in eligible patients.

Forty-three patients (non-ARB n = 22, ARB n = 21) were followed up in this study. During angiographic follow-up period, ROS formation in MNCs was significantly increased in the non-ARB group (from 29.4 [21.6-35.2] to 37.2 [30.7-45.1] arbitrary units; p = 0.031) compared to that in the ARB group. Meanwhile, SOD activity was significantly impaired in the non-ARB group alone (from 24.0 ± 17.0 to 16.3 ± 13.8%, p = 0.004). During the follow-up period (median, 63.3 months), MACCEs were observed in 6 patients. The cumulative event ratio of MACCE was significantly higher in the non-ARB group than in the ARB group (p = 0.018).

Concomitant administration of ARB effectively reduced ROS production of PCI patients during angiographic follow-up period. Initial ROS inhibition following ARB administration may contribute to improvement of worse outcomes in patients who have undergone successful PCI.