News Release

Anti-hypertensive drugs to enhance esophageal contraction

Peer-Reviewed Publication

World Journal of Gastroenterology

Nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker, was shown to decrease lower esophageal sphincter pressure and increase esophageal acid exposure time, while atenolol, a b1 blocker, was shown to inhibit relaxation of the smooth muscle of the esophagus. However, the influence of these anti-hypertensive drugs on the segment of esophageal body contraction using high-resolution manometry was not fully investigated.

A research team from Japan observed esophageal body contraction using high-resolution manometry with 36 intraruminal transducers. Their study was published on February 28, 2010 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

Their research demonstrated that atenolol increased lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and the amplitude of peristaltic contractions, in the middle and lower segments of the esophageal body. On the other hand, nifedipine decreased LES pressure and the amplitude of peristaltic contractions in the esophageal body.

Their results suggested that a regular administration of nifedipine for treatment of hypertension might be a risk factor for the future occurrence of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Atenolol-induced alterations of esophageal motor activity might prevent the development of GERD.

###

Reference: Yoshida K, Furuta K, Adachi K, Ohara S, Morita T, Tanimura T, Nakata S, Miki M, Koshino K, Kinoshita Y. Effects of anti-hypertensive drugs on esophageal body contraction. World J Gastroenterol 2010; 16(8): 987-991

http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/16/987.asp

Correspondence to: Kenji Furuta, MD, PhD, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo-shi, Shimane 693-8501, Japan. kfuruta@med.shimane-u.ac.jp

Telephone: +81-853-202190 Fax: +81-853-202187

About World Journal of Gastroenterology

World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H. pylori infection and provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2008 IF: 2.081. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of every month. WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the name of China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.

About The WJG Press

The WJG Press mainly publishes World Journal of Gastroenterology.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.