Calcium antagonists and renal failure progression

Abstract

Although tighter blood pressure control is considered the main mechanism for preventing the progression of chronic renal failure, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptors blockers seem to have an additional organ protective role. The effects of calcium antagonists in renal disease are not so clearly defined. Calcium antagonists have pleiotropic effects that might contribute to protect the kidney, such as attenuating mesangial entrapment of macromolecules, countervailing the mitogenic effect of platelet-derived growth factors and platelet-activating factors, and suppressing mesangial cell proliferation. They could also act as free radical scavengers and inhibit the renal effects of endothelin. Some evidence has been accumulated demonstrating that certain new dihydropyridinic calcium antagonists may affect postglomerular as well as preglomerular vessels, resulting in decreased filtration fraction and nephroprotective effect as renin-angiotensin axis-blocking drugs. Though there are few reports on the clinical renal effects of new calcium antagonists, they have rendered promising results. Manidipine does not increase proteinuria as do some classic calcium antagonists, and lercanidipine combined with renin-angiotensin axis-blocking drugs reduce proteinuria. Both drugs have been shown to decrease microalbuminuria when administered alone.