Hemodynamic and endocrine effects of acute and chronic administration of nifedipine

Although it is well known that calcium channel blockers can influence contraction of vascular smooth muscle, there is less knowledge on its effect on excitation contraction coupling in the endocrine glands and more specifically on insulin and glucagon release. In this study, nifedipine was administered in doses of 40 to 80 mg/day to 14 patients with essential hypertension, and its hemodynamic effects were evaluated by non-invasive methods, and its effect on glucose metabolism by an arginine infusion test. Nifedipine produced a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, both after the first dose (30/12 mm Hg) and after 8 weeks of administration (19/12 mm Hg). There were no significant changes in cardiac output (5.1 to 4.9 L/min), muscle (2.4 to 3.2 mL/sec/min) or cutaneous basal flow (9.8 to 8.6 mL/100 mL) as measured non-invasively by echocardiogram and by plethysmography. Insulin and glucagon release were evaluated by the arginine infusion test. Nifedipine produced a tendency towards an increase in glucagon release and a reduction in insulin release although these changes did not reach statistical significance. In this group of patients, nifedipine produced a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic pressure, but no significant changes in insulin or glucagon plasma levels.