Abstract
Moxonidine is a new antihypertensive agent whose mechanism of action appears to involve specific stimulation of imidazoline receptors resulting in an inhibition of the activity of the central and peripheral sympathetic nervous system. The drug seems to behave neutrally with respect to plasma lipid parameters. However, there are no data on the effects of moxonidine on the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subclass pattern or on the LDL oxidation susceptibility, both of which are known to play a prominent role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Thus, we undertook the present study to examine the influence of moxonidine on the LDL subspecies profile and their susceptibility to copper-induced oxidative modification in 20 hypertensive patients (11 men, 9 women) aged 38–61 years. Moxonidine administered at a dose of 0.4 mg daily for 8 weeks produced a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (from 147 ± 10 to 131 ± 11 mm Hg, P < 0.001, and from 98 ± 4.5 to 86 ± 5 mm hg, P < 0.001, respectively). no significant change in plasma lipid profile was observed after moxonidine administration. additionally, no change in the susceptibility of ldl subclasses to copper-induced oxidative modification was noticed. finally, drug therapy was not followed by any change in either ldl phenotype or in mass and composition of the three ldl subfractions. we conclude, that unlike other antihypertensive drugs, such as beta-blockers which may predispose to expression of a relatively atherogenic lipoprotein subclass pattern, moxonidine does not affect either plasma lipid parameters or lipoprotein composition.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Elisaf, M., Petris, C., Bairaktari, E. et al. The effect of moxonidine on plasma lipid profile and on LDL subclass distribution. J Hum Hypertens 13, 781–785 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1000835
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1000835