temocapril-hydrochloride and azelnidipine

We conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label, ascending dose study to investigate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy using the calcium channel blocker azelnidipine and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor temocapril in hypertensive diabetics. Patients received monotherapy with 8 mg azelnidipine (group A, n=112) or 2 mg temocapril (group T, n=111) for 4 weeks. If the target blood pressure (<130/80 mmHg) was not achieved, doses were doubled. If it was still not achieved, both drugs were coadministered at week 8, and, if needed, another antihypertensive drug was added after week 16. The treatment period was 52 weeks. Blood pressure was decreased significantly beginning at week 8 (p<0.0001 in both groups), and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the end of the treatment period was 128.2+/-11.1/76.4+/-8.1 mmHg. Overall, 53.8% (113/210) of patients achieved the target blood pressure by the end of the study. The effect during the monotherapy period (through week 8) was greater in group A than in group T (systolic, p=0.0475; diastolic, p=0.0001). Laboratory tests showed significant decreases in the urine albumin:creatinine ratio (p=0.0006), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration (p=0.0073), and urine 8-isoprostane concentration (p=0.0215) at the end of the treatment period, as compared with baseline values. No adverse events caused safety problems. In conclusion, combination therapy using azelnidipine and temocapril is an effective treatment for hypertensive diabetics.

Topics: Aged; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Azetidinecarboxylic Acid; Blood Glucose; Blood Pressure; Calcium Channel Blockers; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diabetic Nephropathies; Dihydropyridines; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Heart Rate; Humans; Hypertension, Renal; Kidney Function Tests; Lipids; Male; Middle Aged; Thiazepines; Treatment Outcome

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of a calcium channel blocker, azelnidipine (1 mg/kg/day), an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, temocapril (10 mg/kg/day), an angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blocker (ARB), olmesartan (5 mg/kg/day), and their combination on Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DS rats) developing heart failure with preserved systolic function. DS rats were fed a high-salt diet (8% NaCl) from 7 weeks of age and progressively developed hypertension. Although monotherapy with azelnidipine lowered the blood pressure of DS rats to a greater extent than monotherapy with temocapril or olmesartan, the three drugs had similar effects on cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, the expressions of brain natriuretic peptide, transforming growth factor-beta1, collagen I, collagen III and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA (as estimated by Northern blot analysis), and cardiac diastolic dysfunction (as estimated by echocardiography). These results show that ACE and AT1 receptor, as well as hypertension, are involved in the development of heart failure with preserved systolic function in DS rats. The combination of azelnidipine with olmesartan or temocapril produced no additive hypotensive effect in DS rats and no additive effect on cardiac hypertrophy or gene expressions. However, the combination therapy prolonged the survival rate of DS rats more than azelnidipine (p <0.01) or temocapril alone (p <0.05), and this additive beneficial effect by the combination therapy was associated with a greater reduction of cardiac fibrosis, urinary albumin excretion and serum creatinine. Our results thus showed that the combination of a calcium channel blocker with an ARB or an ACE inhibitor had additive preventive effects on a rat model of hypertensive heart failure with preserved systolic function. Thus, combination therapy with these agents seems to be a useful therapeutic strategy for the prevention of hypertensive heart failure.

Topics: Albuminuria; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Azetidinecarboxylic Acid; Calcium Channel Blockers; Cardiac Output, Low; Creatinine; Dihydropyridines; Drug Combinations; Echocardiography; Gene Expression; Hypertension; Imidazoles; Myocardium; Olmesartan Medoxomil; Organ Size; Rats; Rats, Inbred Dahl; Survival Analysis; Tetrazoles; Thiazepines

To assess the renal benefits of combined angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and calcium antagonism, we studied the antihypertensive and renoprotective effects of temocapril (TMP) alone or in combination with azelnidipine (AZN) in a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) remnant kidney model of chronic renal failure. Male 5/6-nephrectomized SHR/Izumo rats were randomly assigned to receive vehicle (control group), TMP (TMP group; 10 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)), AZN (AZN group; 3 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)), or both (TMP+AZN group) orally for 12 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and urinary excretion of albumin (UalbV) were measured every 2 weeks. At the end of the experiment, serum creatinine (Scr), heart weight (HW), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels were measured and the remnant kidneys were examined to determine the index of glomerular sclerosis (IGS). SBP and UalbV in the control group increased progressively throughout the experimental period. TMP, AZN, and TMP+AZN blocked the development of hypertension. TMP+AZN did not enhance the antihypertensive effects of either TMP or AZN used singly. TMP, AZN, and TMP+AZN all significantly decreased the UalbV, Scr, BUN, and HW/body weight (BW) ratio. The level of UalbV and the HW/BW ratio in the TMP+AZN group were significantly lower than those in the TMP and AZN groups, and the level of Scr in the TMP+AZN group was significantly lower than that in the TMP group. TMP, AZN, and TMP+AZN all significantly protected against an increase in the IGS. The IGS in the TMP+AZN group was significantly lower than that in the TMP and AZN groups. These results indicate that both TMP and AZN have antihypertensive and renoprotective effects in this model. They also suggest that simultaneous administration of TMP and AZN provides greater renoprotective effects than TMP alone.

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Azetidinecarboxylic Acid; Calcium Channel Blockers; Dihydropyridines; Drug Therapy, Combination; Hypertension; Kidney; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Male; Nephrectomy; Protective Agents; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Thiazepines