Leptin - produced predominantly by adipocytes - is presumably also involved in pathogenesis of essential hypertension (EH). In the present study, we addressed the question whether and to what extent antihypertensive monotherapy does influence leptinemia in patients with mild or moderate EH. Forty-two EH patients were enrolled in this randomized, open-labeled study. In all subjects, plasma concentrations of leptin, insulin, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and creatinine were estimated twice - before and one month after initiation of monotherapy with perindopril, pindolol or felodipin, respectively. Plasma leptin concentration, in the afternoon and midnight, was significantly higher in patients with essential hypertension than in normotensive healthy subjects (p < 0.01). Therapy with perindopril or felodipin did not influence the daily profile of leptinemia or insulinemia, respectively. However, pindolol monotherapy showed a marked (p < 0.01) suppressive effect on the daily profile of leptinemia, but did not influence insulinemia.
Conclusions: First, patients with essential hypertension are characterized by higher plasma leptin levels as compared with normotensive healthy subjects; second, suppressive effect of pindolol on leptinemia may be of pathophysiological relevance in the course of weight gain during beta-blocker therapy.