Effect of nebivolol and metoprolol treatments on serum asymmetric dimethylarginine levels in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
1Department of Internal Medicine, Göztepe Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul
2Pakize Tarzi Laboratory, İstanbul, Turkey
3Excellence Center for Cardiovascular Disease, 2nd University of Naples, Naples, Italy
Anatol J Cardiol 2007; 4(7): 383-387 PubMed ID: 18065333
Full Text PDF

Abstract

Objective: Elevated asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels, an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, are an important cardiovascular risk factor. In patients with diabetes, increased ADMA levels have been reported, which may be associated with endothelial dysfunction. In this study, effect of nebivolol on serum ADMA levels in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes have been compared with metoprolol, an another beta-blocker. Materials and Methods: A total of 54 patients (27 female, 27 male; mean age: 53.0±8.7 years) with type 2 diabetes and hypertension were included in this randomized, open-label, prospective study. Patients were randomized to receive either nebivolol 5 mg/day (n=28) or metoprolol 100 mg/day (n=26) for 12 weeks. When the patients could not reach target blood pressure levels at the end of week 4, indapamide (2.5 mg/day) was added. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay was used for serum ADMA measurements. Results: Similar reductions in blood pressure values were observed in both groups (p>0.05). In nebivolol group, there were no significant changes in serum ADMA levels compared to baseline (0.6±0.2 µmol/l vs 0.6±0.1 µmol/l, p>0.05), whereas in metoprolol group a 35.6% increase in serum ADMA levels was observed (0.6±0.1 µmol/l vs 0.7±0.2 µmol/l, p<0.01). Conclusions: We observed a significant increase in ADMA levels, a marker of endothelial dysfunction, during metoprolol treatment, whereas nebivolol had neutral effects on ADMA levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.