Effects of antihypertensive treatment with AT1 receptor antagonist losartan on plasma nitric oxide levels in hypertensives

Objectives To investigate the influence of AT1 receptor antagonist losartan on plasma nitric oxide (N0) levels in patients with hypertension besides its antihypertensive effect. Methods The plasma N0 levels in controls with 30 cases and in 100 hypertension patients (losartan group and lotensin group each with 50 patients) before and after antihypertensive treatment were tested using the method of nitric acid reductase. Results The N0 levels in patients with hypertension were significantly lower than those in control before treatment ( P 0 05) and were significantly increased after treatment with losartan and ACE inhibitor lotensin, both the difference were statistically significant ( P 0 05). Conclusions Both losartan and lotensin can increase the plasma N0 levels in patients with hypertension besides their antihypertensive effect and they show the same effect on elevation of plasma N0 levels.