Effect of exogenous urotensin-II on vascular tone in skin microcirculation of patients with essential hypertension

Abstract

Background: Plasma levels of urotensin-II (U-II) have been found to be elevated in patients with essential hypertension. However, the consequence of activation of the U-II system have not been previously determined in these patients. We therefore compared the effect of exogenous U-II administration on vascular tone in hypertensive patients (n = 13) and normotensive subjects (n = 14). Methods: The effect of U-II on vascular tone was determined in the forearm skin microcirculation using iontophoresis to administer the drug and laser Doppler velocimetry to measure microvascular response. Results: The U-II administration was associated with a dose-dependent vasodilator response from baseline in ..