Immune pleiotropic effect of telmisartan in arterial hypertension

Arterial hypertension (AH) is among the life-threatening diseases and requires permanent antihypertensive therapy, including telmisartan. However, the effect of telmisartan upon systemic interleukin profile in elderly hypertensive patients requires further study, due to the limited data on previously analyzed interleukins. The aim of our study was to evaluate the immune pleiotropic effect of telmisartan upon miultiple pro- and anti-inflammatory blood interleukins in the patients with hypertension. The study included examination of 74 patients aged 60-74 years suffering from hypertension treated with telmisartan (80 mg/day in the morning time). The immune response to telmisartan assessed by the blood contents of different interleukins was evaluated following 6 months of treatment. These markers were determined by flow cytometry using “Becton Dickinson FACS Canto 2” device (USA). The pleiotropic immune effect of telmisartan upon the interleukin profile in hypertensive patients aged 60-74 was established by statistically significant changes in multiple pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory interleukins. Following 6 months of telmisartan therapy, the patients with arterial hypertension have shown a statistically significant decrease in blood cytokines, i.e., IL-1 в was reduced to 8.1±0.6 pg/ml vs initial 10.5±0.8 pg/ml; IL-2, to 8.6±0.8 pg/ml vs initial 11.8±1.1 pg/ml; IL-6, to 18.4±0.5 pg/ml vs initial 21.2±0.7 pg/ml; IL-8, to 3.5±0.6 pg/ml vs 5.4±0.5 pg/ml. We have also revealed a statistically significant decrease of blood TNFα levels to 5.3±0.5 pg/ml versus initial 6.8±0.4 pg/ml in the elderly patients with hypertension after 6 months of antihypertensive therapy with telmisartan. Moreover, the levels of pro-inflammatory systemic interleukins and, especially, IL-4 showed an increase from 4.6±0.5 pg/ml to 7.0±0.6 pg/ml in the course of telmisartan therapy in these patients. In summary, one may suggest that telmisartan exerts a significant immune pleiotropic effect in the patients with hypertension, confirmed by the systemic changes of interleukin contents. The pleiotropic effects of telmisartan have been established in patients with arterial hypertension, expressed as a significant decrease in IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, TNFα levels, along with increased IL-4 and IL-10 contents. The results obtained showed a significant pleiotropic effect of telmisartan in the patients with arterial hypertension upon several interleukins, thus expanding the role of immune inflammation in this disorder, as well as its reversal with telmisartan therapy