Effects Of Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors On Endothelial Function And The Number Of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells In Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Background and Objects: Endothelial dysfunction is an important early event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, contributing to plaque initiation and progression. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors(ACEI) have been shown to be especially beneficial for endothelial function. It is not very clear wether the severity of endothelial dysfunction can evaluate the the severity of atherosclerosis, and wether ACEI has a beneficial effect on atherosclerosis progression by removing the endothelial dysfunction, this Study aimed to investigate the effect of cilazapril on endothelial function and carotid artery plaque in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have the ability to mature into endothelial cells and have a physiologic role in repair of endothelial lesions. Some studies found that the level of circulating EPCs was decreased in patients with CAD. It is not very clear wether the number of circulating EPCs is associated with the severity of endothelial dysfunction and what effect does ACEI therapy on EPCs. this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the number of EPCs and endothelial function in patients with CAD and the impact of ACEI.Method:This study consists of two ports. First: 64 patients with CAD and carotid artery plaque were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in the matching group were treated with routine drugs and patients in cilazapril group received routine drugs and cilazapril 2.5～5 mg/d. The humeral artery flow-mediated-dilation(FMD) and the maximum intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid artery were measured with high resolution ultrasonography for each...