Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Differential blood pressure effects of oral glucose and intravenous L-arginine in healthy lean normotensive and obese hypertensive subjects

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 16, pages S133–S136 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

We investigated the role of insulin and glucose in the pathophysiology of hypertension associated with obesity. The comparative effects of an oral glucose load and of an L-arginine infusion on plasma glucose, plasma insulin and blood pressures (BP) were assessed in lean normotensive and in obese hypertensive males. Oral glucose (75 g in 1–2 min) induced a small but significant lowering of BP in lean normotensives, but failed to modify BP in obese hypertensives. L-arginine infusion (30 min, 500 mg/kg total dose) reduced BP; significantly greater reductions in sytolic and diastolic BP were observed in obese hypertensives than in the control group. Both oral glucose and L-arginine induced greater increases in plasma insulin in obese hypertensives than in lean normotensives. Endothelial dysfunction which accompanies the insulin resistant state of obesity, glucose intolerance and hypertension, may account for the different BP effects induced by glucose and L-arginine in obese hypertensives and lean normotensives.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Welborn TA et al. Serum insulin in essential hypertension and in peripheral vascular disease Lancet 1966 1: 1336–1337

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Ferrannini E et al. Insulin resistance in essential hypertension N Engl J Med 1987 317: 350–357

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Laakso M, Sarlund H, Mykkanen L . Essential hypertension and insulin resistance in non-insulin-dependent diabetes Eur J Clin Invest 1989 19: 518–526

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Reaven GM . Relationships between insulin resistance and hypertension Diabetes Care 1991 14: 33–38

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Denker PS, Pollock VE . Fasting insulin levels in essential hypertension: a meta-analysis Arch Int Med 1992 152: 1649–1651

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Morris AD, Connell JMC . Insulin resistance and essential hypertension: mechanisms and clinical implications Am J Med Sci 1994 307 (Suppl 1): S47–S52

    Google Scholar 

  7. Brands MW, Hall JE, Keen HL . Is insulin resistance linked to hypertension? Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1998 25: 70–76

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Scherrer U, Randin D, Vollenweider L, Nicod P . Nitric oxide release accounts for insulin's vascular effects in humans J Clin Invest 1994 94: 2511–2515

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Baron AD et al. Insulin-mediated skeletal muscle vasodilation contributes to both insulin sensitivity and responsiveness in lean humans J Clin Invest 1995 96: 786–792

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Vollenweider P et al. Impaired insulin-induced sympathetic neural activation and vasodilation in skeletal muscle of obese humans J Clin Invest 1994 93: 2365–2371

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Gudbjornsdottir S, Elam M, Sellgren J, Anderson EA . Insulin increases forearm vacular resistance in obese, insulin-resistant hypertensives J Hypertens 1996 14: 91–97

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Steinberg HO et al. Obesity/insulin resistance is associated with endothelial dysfunction J Clin Invest 1996 97: 2601–2610

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Higashi Y et al. Relationship between insulin resistance and endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation inpatients with essential hypertension Hypertension 1997 29: 280–285

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Pinkney JH, Stehouwer CDA, Coppack SW, Yudkin JS . Endothelial dysfunction: cause of the insulin resistance syndrome Diabetes 1997 46: S9–S13

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Modan M et al. Hyperinsulinaemia: a link between hypertension, obesity and glucose intolerance J Clin Invest 1985 75: 809–817

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. DeFronzo RA . Insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and coronary artery disease: a complex metabolic web J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1992 20 (Suppl 11): S1–S16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Maheux P et al. Additive effects of obesity, hypertension and type-2 diabetes on insulin resistance Hypertension 1994 24: 695–698

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Yki-Jarvinen H . Role of insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of NIDDM Diabetologia 1995 38: 1378–1388

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Brands MW, Hildebrandt DA, Miizelle HL, Hall JE . Sustained hyperinsulinemia increases arterial pressure in conscious rats Am J Physiol 1991 260: R764–768

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Hall JE, Coleman TG, Mizelle HL, Smith MJ . Chronic hyperinsulinemia and blood pressure regulation Am J Physiol 1990 258: F722–731

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Singer P et al. Postprandial hyperglycemia inpatients with mild essential hypertension Hypertension 1985 7: 182–186

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Reaven GM, Ho H . Sugar-induced hypertension in Sprague-Dawley rats Am J Hypertens 1991 4: 610–614

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Brands MW, Fitzgerald SM . Chronic glucose infusion causes moderate hypertension in rats Am J Hypertens 2000 13: 99–102

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Higashi Y et al. Renal response to L-arginine in salt sensitivepatients with essential hypertension Hypertension 1996 27: 643–648

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Heika Silveira for the glucose determinations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for the Detection and Treatment of Silent Cardiovascular Risk Factors (SIL-DETECT). Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela

    A M Castejon, I S Hoffmann, E Jimenez, R J Cubeddu, R M Baldonedo & L X Cubeddu

Authors
  1. A M Castejon
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I S Hoffmann
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E Jimenez
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R J Cubeddu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R M Baldonedo
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. L X Cubeddu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L X Cubeddu.

Additional information

The study was supported by Grants from CONICT S1-96001890, CDCH.F06.10.4214.98 and F06.30.4362.99 and IFF 01. 99

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Castejon, A., Hoffmann, I., Jimenez, E. et al. Differential blood pressure effects of oral glucose and intravenous L-arginine in healthy lean normotensive and obese hypertensive subjects. J Hum Hypertens 16 (Suppl 1), S133–S136 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001359

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001359

Keywords

Search

Advanced search

Quick links