Metabolic and hemodynamic markers of endothelial dysfunction in patients with hypertension and patients with type 2 diabetes during the cold pressor test

Leptin, a 167-amino acid peptidic hormone secreted by adipose tissue, acts mainly in the arcuate hypothalamus nucleus as a satiety signal, but given its closed connections with inflammatory and endothelial systems, a probable regulatory role in blood pressure (BP) control by interaction with nitric oxide (NO) and C-reactive protein (CRP) has also been described. The cold pressor test (CPT) is a simple test that indirectly determines endothelial dysfunction. In this work, biochemical indicators (CRP, leptin, and NO) and hemodynamic indicators (systolic and diastolic BP) were performed and evaluated in patients with hypertension, patients with type 2, and control subjects during a single CPT for assessment of endothelial dysfunction. A total of 43 subjects aged 25 to 60 years were divided into three groups: 15 healthy volunteers, 13 patients with hypertension, and 15 patients with type 2 diabetes were included in the study. A complete clinical history was obtained from each subject and a complete physical examination, including an electrocardiogram, was carried out. During the 30-minute assay, 0.9% saline solution was infused intravenously. CPT was performed to assess the cardiovascular reactivity at 15 minutes. The cardiovascular variables (systolic and diastolic BP) were measured at 0, 16, and 30 minutes. In addition, serum variables were extracted at the beginning and at the end of the experiment and statistical analysis was performed. CPT caused in all subjects a significant increase in BP and pulse. There were no significant differences in CRP or leptin in all groups, although we observed significant differences for NO (P < 0.05). Sensibility and specificity for all biochemical variables resulted in nonsignificant statistical or clinical importance as markers of endothelial dysfunction; however, a positive association was found when leptin and NO were evaluated together (sensibility, 0.2; specificity, 0.8). CRP, leptin, and NO did not show any direct or significant association with the hemodynamic variables in this study, although a relationship was observed in NO according to group and among biochemical variables when studied together.