summary: The authors report data from studies of the effect of the recently licensed MS drug FTY720 (Fingolimod) on vascular tone and blood pressure in hypertensive rats. They report that oral administration of FTY720 induced an increase in mean arterial pressure in hypertensive rats whereas a decrease in blood pressure was observed in normotensive rats. FTY720 induced major contractions in isolated carotid arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats but not the normotensive rats. The authors suggest that FTY720 increases vascular tone and blood pressure in hypertensive rats, most likely due to its sphingosine kinase inhibitory effect.

authors: Spijkers LJ, Alewijnse AE, Peters SL.

source: Br J Pharmacol. 2012 Jan 17. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01865.x. [Epub ahead of print]

weblink: click here

category: Clinical Trials and Therapeutics

related research news: click here

glossary: