Calcium channel blocker, azelnidipine, reduces lipid hydroperoxides in patients with type 2 diabetes independent of blood pressure.

Anti-hypertensive agents with antioxidative effects are potentially useful for diabetic patients with hypertension to prevent the onset and progression of their complication. While dihydropyridine-type calcium antagonists are among the frequently used anti-hypertensive drugs, azelnidipine, a novel calcium antagonist, has been reported to have a unique anti-oxidative effect in vitro and in animals. In this study, we measured lipid hydroperoxides in human sample using diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine for the first time, and used the value of lipid hydroperoxides as an index of oxidative stress. Then, we compared the antioxidative properties of azelnidipine and amlodipine, a frequently used calcium antagonist in hypertensive diabetic patients. Administration of vitamin C and E for 8 weeks significantly reduced lipid hydroperoxides in erythrocyte membrane in normal subjects. In hypertensive diabetic patients, azelnidipine treatment for 12 weeks induced a more significant fall in erythrocyte lipid hydroperoxide level than amlodipine, though blood pressure during each treatment was comparable. Our data confirm the usefulness of lipid hydroperoxides in erythrocyte membrane as a marker of oxidative stress in vivo, and indicate that azelnidipine has a unique antioxidative property in human.