Leukocyte beta-receptor alterations in hypertensive subjects.

It has been suggested that beta-adrenergic responsiveness is reduced in hypertension. To evaluate a possible alteration in human beta-receptors that might account for diminished beta-adrenergic responsiveness, we studied leukocytes from hypertensive and normotensive subjects after an overnight rest supine, and then after being ambulatory, a maneuver that increases plasma catecholamines approximately twofold. In supine samples, beta-receptor affinity for the agonist isoproterenol was significantly reduced in hypertensives and was associated with a reduction in the proportion of beta-receptors binding agonist with a high affinity from 42 +/- 6% in normotensive subjects to 25 +/- 2% in hypertensives (P less than 0.05). Alterations in beta-adrenergic-mediated adenylate cyclase activity parallelled the differences seen in the beta-receptor affinity for agonist. In normotensive subjects, beta-receptor density and the proportion of receptors binding agonist with high affinity were reciprocally correlated with plasma catecholamines. However, in the hypertensive subjects these correlations were not evident. Thus, our data suggest an alteration in leukocyte beta-receptor interactions in hypertensive subjects, and may represent a generalized defect in beta-receptor function in hypertension.