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Propranolol, renin and hypertension: a review
Postgraduate Medical Journal
|January 1, 1976
Summary
Propranolol effectively lowers blood pressure in high renin hypertension by reducing plasma renin activity. This suggests the renin-aldosterone axis is key in hypertension, and propranolol
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Pharmacology
- Renal Physiology
Background:
- Sodium balance is crucial for regulating plasma renin activity.
- Urinary sodium excretion provides a physiological index for assessing renin secretion variations.
Observation:
- Propranolol consistently reduced plasma renin activity across all hypertensive patients.
- Antihypertensive effects varied: propranolol lowered blood pressure in high and some normal renin patients, but not in low renin states.
Findings:
- The antihypertensive efficacy of propranolol correlated directly with pretreatment renin levels and the magnitude of renin reduction.
- These effects were observed across diverse hypertension types including malignant, renal, renovascular, and essential hypertension.
Implications:
- The renin-aldosterone axis plays a significant role in various hypertensive conditions.
- Propranolol's antihypertensive action is largely mediated by its antirenin effect, potentially via neurological pathways.
- Propranolol response can serve as a biomarker for renin involvement in essential hypertension and predict surgical outcomes in renovascular hypertension.