Characteristics of Lymphocyte β-Adrenoceptors in Essential Hypertension: Effects of Propranolol Treatment and Dynamic Exercise

• Published in: Health psychology 1988, Vol.7 (S), p.33-52
• Main Authors: Parfyonova, Elena V, Korichneva, Irina L, Suvorov, Yuri I, Krasnikova, Tatyana L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenylyl Cyclases - blood; Adult; Blood Pressure; Catecholamines; Drug Therapy; Essential Hypertension; Exercise; Heart Rate; Human; Humans; Hypertension - blood; Hypertension - drug therapy; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes - drug effects; Lymphocytes - metabolism; Male; Middle Aged; Neural Receptors; Physical Exertion; Physiological Correlates; Propranolol; Propranolol - pharmacology; Radioligand Assay; Receptor Binding; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta - drug effects; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta - metabolism; Renin - blood
• ISSN: 0278-6133; 1930-7810
• DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.7.Suppl.33

The density of β 2 -receptors in intact lymphocytes was studied by binding with 125 iodo-cyanopindolol in 18 male patients with mild or moderate hypertension before and after monotherapy with propranolol. The density of these receptors was also determined in 5 patients before and after dynamic exercise. We found that propranolol therapy evoked different changes in the density of β -receptors in patients with essential hypertension. Based on these results, all patients were divided into two groups: (a) patients who responded to the administration of propranolol by an increase in receptor density and (b) patients who responded with a decrease in receptor density. Propranolol therapy had a pronounced hypotensive effect in the second group and no hypotensive effect in the first group. In the second group, heart rate was significantly higher initially and showed a significantly greater decrease after treatment. The initial values for β 2 -receptor density were also significantly higher in this group than in the first group. Mean values of baseline plasma renin activity (PRA) were higher in the second group, but this difference was nonsignificant. The 5 patients who participated in dynamic exercise exhibited different changes in β -receptor density, which correlated with the changes observed with propranolol treatment. There was no correlation between PRA and the density of β 2 -receptors in lymphocytes. Positive correlations were found between the density of these receptors and left-ventricular myocardial mass and interventricular septal thickness. The data indicate that the density of these receptors in lymphocytes is regulated in a qualitatively different manner in the two groups of patients with essential hypertension; this difference appears to be related to baseline renin levels or, perhaps, catecholamine levels. Additional studies are needed to clarify the regulation of β 2 -receptors in essential hypertension. Key words: essential hypertension, catecholamines, β -andrenoceptors, lymphocyte, propranolol, dynamic exercise