Effects of atenolol, captopril, and their combination on oxidative stress in hypertensive patients

Abstract EN

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension, and oxidative imbalance involved in the development of endothelial dysfunction and vascular complications like atherosclerosis.

It is important nowaday to evaluate the antioxidant effects of antihypertensive drugs in addition to blood pressure lowering effects, since this may provide a better treatment approach and participate in the prevention of complications of hypertension.

We studied the antioxidant effects of atenolol, captopril, and their combination on 60 hypertensive patients aged from 45–60 years, treated for one year with different treatment lines and compared the results with healthy controls.

Serum reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were estimated as a marker of oxidative status in the blood and lipid peroxidation at endothelial cell membrane was evaluated by measuring its byproduct, malondialdehyde (MDA) in the blood utilizing spectrophotometric techniques.

Oxidative imbalance was present in all hypertensive patients in comparison with controls.

Serum GSH levels significantly reduced and serum MDA levels significantly elevated in patients using atenolol and captopril alone, while patients who used atenolol / captopril combination significantly maintained blood GSH and MDA at levels closer to that of controls.

Combination therapy was found to reduce GSH depletion and lipid peroxidation more than captopril, and captopril more than atenolol.

In conclusion, combination therapy provides better protection against oxidative stress associated with hypertension, and hence better prevention of complications like atherosclerosis than both atenolol and captopril used alone.