VASCULAR EFFECTS OF LACIDIPINE - A REVIEW OF ANIMAL AND HUMAN DATA

Aim: To compare the vascular effects of lacidipine with those of other calcium antagonists. Methods: A review of published studies. Results: Experimental studies have shown that for a similar fall in blood pres sure, lacidipine increased cardiac contractility while verapamil decre ased cardiac contractility. In the rat aorta, the dose of lacidipine r equired to reduce a calcium-induced contraction by 50% was lower than that of all other calcium antagonists tested except nisoldipine. In hu man studies, especially, there are inherent limitations in the techniq ues available to measure regional blood flows under physiological cond itions, making it difficult to compare the effects of different antihy pertensive drugs. A recent study showed that renal blood flow was incr eased by lacidipine without any reduction in renal function. As in ani mals, vital organ perfusion was either preserved or increased. Further , maximal coronary vasodilation was associated with lower coronary res istance values during lacidipine treatment compared with pretreatment values. Another lacidipine study showed increased brachial artery comp liance, while a study on the radial artery showed that lacidipine incr eased the compliance of this artery also. Conclusions: Lacidipine has vascular selectivity. Although regional blood flows are difficult to m easure, due to inherent limitations in the techniques available, the e vidence suggests that lacidipine produces vasodilation in essential hy pertensive subjects while maintaining or even increasing vital organ p erfusion. This appears to be due to a regression of the structural cha nges that characterize hypertension.