The effects of telmisartan on the nuclear factor of activated T lymphocytes signalling pathway in hypertensive patients

HYPOTHESIS: Previous studies provide links between the nuclear factor of activated T lymphocytes (NFAT) signalling pathway and the development of hypertension. Our preliminary studies indicate that telmisartan can block Kv1.3 potassium channels and effectively inhibit potassium current densities, along with Kv1.3 mRNA and protein expression levels. This paper aims to investigate whether telmisartan has an inhibitory effect on the NFAT signalling pathway after activation and proliferation of peripheral blood T lymphocytes in Kazakh patients with essential hypertension (EH) from Xinjiang, China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T lymphocytes were isolated using the immunomagnetic cell sorting method (MACS). The mRNA expression of NFATc1, IL-6 and TNF-α was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and relative protein levels were evaluated by Western blot. T cell samples from 50 hypertensive Kazakh patients from Xinjiang were randomly divided into control, telmisartan, cyclosporin A (CsA), VIVIT, and 4-aminopytidine (4-AP) groups. Peripheral blood T lymphocytes were first activated and proliferated in vitro, then incubated for 48 h under different treatment conditions before determination of protein and mRNA expression of NFATc1, IL-6, and TNF-α by Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses, respectively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in cardiovascular risk factors among the patients with samples assigned to the five groups (p > 0.05). Expression of NFATc1, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA and protein was significantly reduced in T lymphocytes in all treatment groups (telmisartan, CsA, VIVIT, and 4-AP) compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Antihypertensive function and inhibitory effects of telmisartan on the T lymphocyte NFAT signalling pathway are unlikely to affect the normal immune function of hypertensive patients. Telmisartan may exert anti-inflammatory effects by inhibition of the NFAT signalling pathway in the T lymphocytes of hypertensive patients.