Trandolapril dose-response in spontaneously hypertensive rats: effects on ACE activity, blood pressure, and cardiac hypertrophy.

The dose-related effects of trandolapril on serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy were studied after 2-week oral treatment in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats. Trandolapril caused a dose-dependent decrease in mean blood pressure at doses of 0.03-3 mg/kg. Inhibition of serum ACE was demonstrated by even the lowest dose (-9% at 0.003 mg/kg), was about 40% at 0.03 mg/kg, and rose to 84% at 3 mg/kg. Regression of cardiac hypertrophy (heart:body weight) was seen at doses of trandolapril as low as 0.03 mg/kg (-5.1%), which was also the minimal effective antihypertensive dose. Clear dose-response curves were observed for trandolapril from 0.03 mg/kg upwards with respect to hypotensive effect and regression of cardiac hypertrophy, which were not seen with enalapril. Enalapril had no significant effect on plasma ACE activity except at the highest dose (10 mg/kg), despite demonstrating hypotensive effects with smaller doses. These results indicate that trandolapril is a more potent (by a factor of about 30) inhibitor of ACE than enalapril (only 34% inhibition at 10 mg/kg) and causes a greater degree of regression of cardiac hypertrophy.