Prostacyclin in hypertension.

Prostacyclin (PGI2) is known to cause vasorelaxation and inhibit platelet aggregation by receptor-mediated mechanisms. While cyclic (c)AMP is known to act as a second messenger for platelet aggregation, vasorelaxation by hyperpolarization has been described only recently and may provide an explanation, in addition to stimulation of cAMP, for the PGI2 mechanism of action on blood vessels. When PGI2 is infused into healthy volunteers it reduces blood pressure only at infusion rates that also cause significant side effects, primarily nausea, emesis, flushing, diphoresis and restlessness. In hypertensive patients blood pressure responses are complex and are influenced to some extent by secretion. PGI2 stimulates renin secretion by a direct effect on the juxtaglomerular apparatus, and also has an indirect effect by activating the sympathetic nervous system. Thus it is useless as an antihypertensive agent even apart from its debilitating side effects. Vascular PGI2 is synthesized endogenously by both the endothelial cells and the muscularis of arteries. While the endothelial cells undoubtedly synthesize larger amounts of PGI2, the muscularis comprises a much larger tissue mass so that the overall synthesis is about equally distributed between the endothelial and muscle cells. In patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension and some patients with essential hypertension, endogenous synthesis of PGI2 has been evaluated by measuring 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1 alpha and has proved to be defective. Some drugs (cicletanine, thiazides, propranolol) have been shown to stimulate PGI2 synthesis, and inhibition of cyclooxygenase has been shown to abolish their antihypertensive effects. Whether stimulation of PGI2 synthesis affects the antihypertensive efficacy of these drugs is not yet known.