PREVENTION OF EXERCISE-INDUCED ENDOTHELEMIA BY ISRADIPINE IN MEN WITHANGINA-PECTORIS

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment w ith isradipine would prevent an exercise-induced increase in the conce ntration of anuclear carcasses of endothelial cells in the blood of me n with angina pectoris. Endothelial cells were prepared for microscopi c counting by a method involving differential centrifugation of venous blood. The endothelial cell count of 20 men increased from 0.78 +/- ( SD) 0.41 per counting chamber approximately 2 h before exercise to 1.2 8 +/- 0.54 three minutes after moderate angina was induced by treadmil l exercise (p = 0.003). After treatment with isradipine, the endotheli al cell count decreased with or without treadmill exercise. These resu lts suggest that exercise caused an increase in the endothelial cell c ount of men with coronary artery disease and that isradipine caused an acute decrease and prevented the exercise-induced increase in the end othelial cell count.