Blood pressure variability, baroreflex sensitivity and organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats treated with various antihypertensive drugs

Besides blood pressure, blood pressure variability and baroreflex sensitivity maybe important factors determining organ damage in hypertension. This study was designed to investigate the effects of various antihypertensive drugs on blood pressure and blood pressure variability reductions, baroreflex sensitivity, and target organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The dose is 20 mg/kg/day for atenolol, and 10 mg/kg/day for nifedipine, irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide. We used relatively low doses of drugs to avoid a very remarkable normalization of blood pressure in the treatment, which would make it much difficult to distinguish the contribution of blood pressure variability and baroreflex sensitivity to organ protection from that of blood pressure. Drugs at the aforementioned doses were mixed into rat chow. SHR were treated for 4 months. Blood pressure was then continuously recorded for 24 h. After the determination of baroreflex sensitivity, rats were killed for organ-damage evaluation. It was found that long-term treatment with atenolol, nifedipine, irbesartan or hydrochlorothiazide all markedly reduced blood pressure variability, enhanced baroreflex sensitivity, and produced significant organ protection. Compared with blood pressure level, blood pressure variability and baroreflex sensitivity values showed a much closer or similar relationship with organ-damage parameters in every treatment group of rats. Multiple-regression analysis showed that the decrease in left ventricular hypertrophy, the decrease in aortic hypertrophy and the amelioration in renal lesion were all most closely correlated with the increase in baroreflex sensitivity and the decrease in systolic blood pressure variability. In conclusion, long-term treatment with atenolol, nifedipine, irbesartan or hydrochlorothiazide produced organ protection in SHR. Besides the blood pressure reduction, the decrease in blood pressure variability and the restoration of baroreflex sensitivity may contribute to this organ protection.