Angiotensin II plays an important role in maintaining blood pressure in postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy.

BACKGROUND We investigated the role of angiotensin (Ang) II in maintaining blood pressure (BP) by administering a small dose of candesartan, an Ang II type 1 receptor antagonist, in postmenopausal women receiving long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT). METHODS A single dose of 2 mg of candesartan was administered orally to 13 normotensive postmenopausal women receiving HRT (continuous combined conjugated estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate orally; HRT group) and 13 normotensive postmenopausal women not receiving HRT (control group). Both BP and heart rate (HR) were measured at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 h after administration. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and Ang I, Ang II, and bradykinin concentrations were measured at baseline and 4 h after the administration of candesartan. RESULTS Candesartan lowered the BP and raised the HR in both groups. However, the decrease in BP was significantly greater in the HRT group than in the control group (P < .05), whereas no significant difference in the change in HR was observed between the two groups. In the HRT group, significant increases were found in PRA, Ang I, and Ang II (all P < .05) and a significant decrease in bradykinin (P < .01) with candesartan treatment. In the control group, candesartan as associated with an increase in PRA (P < .05) but not in Ang I, Ang II, or bradykinin. CONCLUSIONS Based on our study results, Ang II plays an important role in maintaining BP in normotensive postmenopausal women receiving HRT. Maintenance of BP may be dependent on the balance between the hypertensive effect of Ang II and the hypotensive effect of bradykinin.