DETERMINATION OF ENDOTHELIN - SIGNIFICANC E IN HYPERTENSION DIAGNOSTIC, MARKER FOR VESSEL LESIONS DUE TO ANGIOPLASTIC MANEUVERS

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether endothelin, the most pote nt vasoconstrictor identified to date, could be a new appropriate tool to diagnose especially renal hypertension. In analogy to the concentr ation of renin the concentrations of endothelin 1 (ET 1) and its precu rsor human big endothelin (BIG-ET) were determined in bilateral renal venous blood samples of 32 hypertensive patients and a normotensive gr oup of 10 volunteers. Furthermore endothelin concentrations were measu red in blood samples of 18 patients before and after percutaneous tran sluminal angioplasty (PTA). The concentrations of ET 1 and BIG-ET did not correlate with the patients' blood pressure. Considering the endot helin levels it was not possible to distinguish between patients suffe ring from renal or essential hypertension and the normotensive group. Thus endothelin is not suitable to diagnose renal hypertension. After PTA there was a significant increase in concentrations of BIG-ET and E T 1. Because of the mitosis promoting effeet of endothelin on vascular smooth muscle cells, this postinterventional release could play a rol e in the development of restenosis.