Insulin, leptin, and membrane microviscosity in blood pressure regulation.

Abstract

To the Editor: We read with great interest the recent article by Vecchione and colleagues1 dealing with a possible link between insulin and leptin in the regulation of vascular tone in rats.1 The results of their presented study demonstrated that insulin and leptin cooperated in the modulation of vascular tone through enhancement of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) release. Vecchione et al proposed that direct cross-talk between insulin and leptin at the vascular level could have a major impact on the regulation of cardiovascular system in metabolic disorders and hypertension. Numerous studies have already shown a strong relationship between obesity and hypertension.2,3 However, the contribution of insulin and leptin to the pathogenesis of hypertension is not fully understood. Recently, Sela et al4 demonstrated that polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in essential hypertension showed increased level of intracellular calcium content correlating positively with the individual’s blood pressure and plasma insulin. They proposed that, because PMN priming may lead to oxidative stress and inflammation, intracellular calcium and insulin are involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension-induced vascular …