Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist decreases plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6 and soluble adhesion molecules in patients with chronic heart failure.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Antihypertensive Agents in this randomized controlled trial publication.

To evaluate the effects of an angiotensin (Ang II) type 1 receptor antagonist on immune markers in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).

Why It Was Studied

Ang II stimulates production of immune factors via the Ang II type 1 receptor in vitro, and the long-term effects of Ang II type 1 receptor antagonists on plasma markers of immune activation are unknown in patients with CHF.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Twenty-three patients with mild to moderate CHF with left ventricular dysfunction were randomly divided into two groups: treatment with Ang II type 1 receptor (candesartan cilexetil) (n = 14) or placebo (n = 9).

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized and placebo-controlled.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Antihypertensive Agents and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Antihypertensive Agents group a baseline to be compared against.

The researchers measured plasma levels of immune factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1).

The researchers also measured plasma levels of the neurohumoral factors such as atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), a biological marker of ANP and BNP.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists, Antihypertensive Agents, Atrial Natriuretic Factor, Benzimidazoles, Biomarkers, Biphenyl Compounds and Cell Adhesion Molecules.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and placebo-controlled study of Antihypertensive Agents.

Results are reported in around 3 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2000 (Journal of the American College of Cardiology), a journal based in United States.

More context: all human trials.