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Atheroprotection with amlodipine: cells to lesions and the PREVENT trial. Prospective Randomized Evaluation of the Vascular Effects of Norvasc Trial.

Oxidized lipid and calcium regulatory abnormalities appear to play important roles in early atherogenesis secondary to cholesterol enrichment of the cell membrane in endothelial and arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs). However, the link between the two is poorly understood. The findings reviewed here demonstrate that amlodipine has membrane-modifying and antioxidant actions at the cell membrane level in addition to its classical calcium channel blocking properties. These multiple pharmacologic actions may explain the cellular mechanisms of the atheroprotective effects of amlodipine in spontaneous atherogenesis and in accelerated atherosclerotic syndromes. Recent animal model studies have demonstrated that amlodipine inhibits the progression of atherosclerotic lesions and protects against restenosis after angioplasty. Amlodipine inhibits the cholesterol-induced increase in calcium permeability in SMCs, and has been shown to repair abnormalities in SMC membrane structure. Recent data have also demonstrated that amlodipine has a marked antioxidant action in membrane bilayers enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, these findings have been in animal models only; the efficacy of amlodipine in atheroprotection in humans cannot be predicted. The PREVENT trial has therefore been launched to examine the atheroprotective potential of amlodipine in spontaneous lesion development in humans with ischemic heart disease and in the prevention of restenosis after angioplasty.