Investigation of relating factors in left ventricular hypertrophy reversion by valsartan in patients with essential hypertension

Objective To investigate the influence of valsartan(angiotension Ⅱ type I receptor antagonist) on the levels of serum transforming growth factor-beta1(TGF-β1),matrix metalloproteinase-1(MMP-1),tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1) in patients with essential hypertension(EH) and on reversing left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH).Methods The 58 patients with EH and LVH identified by Dopple echocardiography were treated with valsartan.Before and after treatment for 6 months,left ventricle mass index(LVMI) and serum levels of TGF-β1,MMP-1,TIMP-1 were obtained and analyzed respectively.Serum levels of TGF-β1 and MMP-1 and TIMP-1 were measured by sandwich assay-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and indirect-ELISA respectively.Results LVMI value of patients was significantly decreased after treatment with valsartan(P0.01),serum level of TGF-β1 was significantly decreased and level of MMP-1 was significantly increased correspondingly(P0.01 and P0.05 respectively).Level of TGF-β1 was negatively correlated with level of MMP-1(γ=-0.5571,P0.01).Conclusions TGF-β1 may inhibit the expression of MMP-1 and cause LVH in patients with EH and valsartan reverses LVH possibly by decreasing the expression of TGF-β1 and increasing the level of MMP-1.