Antihypertensive effect of orally administered glandular kallikrein in essential hypertension: Results of a double blind study

Abstract

The antihypertensive effect of oral administration of pig pancreatic kallikrein was investigated in a double blind study of 20 patients with essential hypertension. Kallikrein treatment lowered the blood pressure (BP) significantly from 159.5/104.5 to 146J/92.8 mm Hg in the supine and from 153/106.1 to 136.1/95.6 mm Hg in the standing position. Blood pressure remained unchanged in the placebo group. Urinary kallikrein, sodium excretion, and GFR increased with treatment, but these changes did not reach statistical significance. In the kallikrein-treated patients but not in the placebo group, urinary kallikrein was correlated both to GFR (r = 0.7, p < 0.001) and sodium excretion (r = 0.5, p < 0.01). The antihypertensive mechanism of kallikrein treatment remains unknown. It could be speculated that kallikrein may induce changes in local blood flow, mediated by kinin and prostaglandin release. © 1981 American Heart Association, Inc.