Abstract
Eighteen patients with advanced or malignant hypertension due to essential hypertension, systemic lupus erythematosus or chronic glomerulonephritis were infused intravenously with 1-Sar-8-Ile-Angiotensin II, a competitive antagonist of angiotensin II. The spectrum of responses was broad from a mild elevation to a marked fall in blood pressure. The changes in mean blood pressure caused by this peptide showed a significant correlation with the level of peripheral plasma renin activity immediately before the infusion (r=0.5652, p<0.02). This peptide infusion reduced blood pressure in 12 patients (responders), but not in 6 (non-responders). There were no differences with age, sex and severity of hypertension except for the level of peripheral plasma renin activity between the two groups. Our retrospective study showed that in 12 responders propranolol reduced blood pressure to near the normal level, while in 6 non-responders furosemide induced similar depressor response. It is concluded that the vasodepressor effect of this peptide correlates with the levels of peripheral plasma renin activity and that the responses to this drug can be used as a guide for the selection of effective antihypertensive drugs.
