Effects of Rosiglitazone on Nitroglycerin- Induced Endothelial Dysfunction

Sustained nitroglycerin (GTN) therapy impairs endothelial function in healthy volunteers and patients with cardiovascular disease, caused by an increase in vascular oxidative stress. This study aims to estimate the effect of rosiglitazone on vascular endothelial function in healthy volunteers continuously dosed to transdermal GTN (0.6mg/hr) for 7 days. To assess endothelial function, forearm blood flow was measured by venous occlusion strain-gauge plethysmography in response to intra-brachial infusions of acetylcholine. GTN-treated subjects experienced significant attenuation of endothelium-dependent responses to acetylcholine (p<0.05; compared to placebo), but was reversed with vitamin C (p=ns; compared to placebo). Endothelium-dependent responses to acetylcholine were blunted in groups randomized to rosiglitazone alone (p<0.05; compared to placebo) and rosiglitazone + GTN (p<0.05 compared to placebo). Interestingly, this effect was not modified by vitamin C. In conclusion, rosiglitazone impairs endothelial function and concurrent therapy with rosiglitazone does not attenuate the adverse effects of transdermal GTN on the vasculature.