Proximal and distal pulse pressure after acute antihypertensive vasodilating drugs in Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract

The results show that, although all of the drugs studied decreased mean arterial pressure in SHR, only the calcium antagonist nicardipine and the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor perindoprilat reduced proximal pulse pressure. This dissociation between the effects on mean arterial pressure and proximal and distal pulse pressure can be explained by the preferential action of the different antihypertensive agents on large arteries and wave reflections, producing different patterns in the pulsatile component of the heart load.