Effect of Eplerenone on Endothelial Function in Metabolic Syndrome

Summary

Patients with the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) are at increased risk for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.This increased cardiovascular risk is attributed to metabolic dysregulations like impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity and arterial hypertension, which promote oxidative stress and inflammation with consecutive endothelial dysfunction causing an atherogenic environment. Aldosterone promoted end organ damage is mainly found in the cardiovascular system and the kidney. Inflammation and activation of different factors promotes fibroblast growth and matrix production resulting in myocardial fibrosis, vascular remodelling and renal fibrosis. MetSyn and aldosterone are cardiovascular risk factors and it is of crucial importance to note that there is a connection between MetSyn and aldosterone. Other cross sectional studies show a direct correlation of aldosterone levels and impaired glucose metabolism in patients with and without the MetSyn. Taken together, aldosterone influences essential parameters of the MetSyn. Coincidentally parameters of the MetSyn are stimulus for an increased aldosterone synthesis, i.e. visceral adipocytes. In large scale clinical trials - RALES, EPHESUS, 4E - inhibition of MR has proven to be beneficial in patients with congestive heart failure and post myocardial infarction and this result has been confirmed for diabetic patients, who are known to have an increased cardiovascular risk. There is only very limited data on the impact of MR inhibition on metabolic, endocrine, and inflammatory parameters in patients with MetSyn, who have not yet suffered from cardiovascular events.

Timeline

Start

2010-09

Primary completion

2012-12

Completion

2013-04

Publications

• Bosch AJ, Harazny JM, Kistner I, Friedrich S, Wojtkiewicz J, Schmieder RE. Retinal capillary rarefaction in patients with untreated mild-moderate hypertension. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2017 Dec 21;17(1):300. doi: 10.1186/s12872-017-0732-x.
• Jumar A, Harazny JM, Ott C, Kistner I, Friedrich S, Schmieder RE. Improvement in Retinal Capillary Rarefaction After Valsartan Treatment in Hypertensive Patients. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2016 Nov;18(11):1112-1118. doi: 10.1111/jch.12851. Epub 2016 Jun 16.

Drugs

Indications