Dissociation between antiproteinuric and antihypertensive effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in rats

To clarify whether angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors prevent progressive renal injury directly by their antihypertensive effect we administered the ACE inhibitor lisinopril to male MWF/Ztm rats as a single daily dose that lowered blood pressure for only 9 of 24 h. We investigated the effects of this treatment in short- and long-term studies and compared them with another antihypertensive drug, the calcium channel blocker nitrendipine, given to partially control blood pressure as done with the ACE inhibitor. In untreated animals systemic hypertension, proteinuria, and glomerulosclerosis developed spontaneously with age, and lisinopril reduced systemic hypertension and prevented proteinuria and glomerular lesions. Nitrendipine, despite similar blood pressure control, was ineffective in preventing both proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. After 2 mo of treatment glomerular capillary pressure was significantly reduced by lisinopril and slightly but significantly increased by nitrendipine, compared...