Metabolic effects of the combination of furosemide and captopril in rat

Diuretics typically provoke increased serum lipid levels and may provoke increased serum uric acid levels and/or glucose intolerance. Furosemide is widely used as an antihypertensive, but in patients for whom furosemide treatment alone proves insufficient to reduce hypertension, a common procedure is to co-administer the angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor captopril. The metabolic effects in rats of joint administration of furosemide (15 mg/kg/day) and captopril (2 mg/kg/day) are evaluated over a two-week period. At the end of this period, the serum levels of lipids, uric acid, bilirubin, proteins and various enzymes were determined as well as the effect of the treatment on intestinal absorption of glucose and calcium. Furosemide/captopril led to an increase in serum albumin and alkaline phosphatase levels, and a decrease in triglyceride levels. The results of this work support the view that this drug combination is suitable for hypertension treatment.