[Membrane transport of cations in erythrocytes during treatment of essential hypertension with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors].

The authors investigated in ten patients with essential hypertension changes in the membrane transport of sodium in red blood cells and the intracellular calcium content of thrombocytes during the control period during treatment of hypertension with central sympatholytics and after three-week treatment with an inhibitor of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), enalapril. The effect of enalapril in hypertonic patients was manifested by a rise of the renin plasma activity and the potassium concentration and a reduction of the sodium plasma concentration which corresponds to the inhibition of angiotensin II. The intracellular calcium and sodium content was unaltered. In 8 of 10 patients after enalapril treatment increased values of Vmax for Na(+)-K+ cotransport occurred, incl. 6 patients where at the same time a rise of Vmax Na(+)-Li+ countertransport was recorded.