Activity of two enzymes associated with apoptosis and cell aging in arterial hypertension.

OBJECTIVE To study the activity of two enzymes, transmembrane reductase (TMR) and cytosolic low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (ACP1), in arterial hypertension (HT) in a sample of adults aged over 50 years. METHODS A sample of 153 adults, 77 with hypertension and 76 normotensive (NT), aged between 50 and 90 years (mean: 71.87 +/- 11.59), of both sexes, was studied. TMR (mmol/cell/h) and ACP1 (micromol/gHb/h) activity in red blood cells was determined by spectrophotometry. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Student's t test and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS We observed a significant difference in TMR activity between normotensive and hypertensive subjects, with lower levels in the hypertensives (NT = 4.762 +/- 2.595; HT = 3.878 +/- 1.748), p = 0.01. ACP1 activity, although higher in hypertensive patients, did not differ significantly from normotensive subjects (p = 0.08) (NT = 242.827 +/- 97.618; HT = 309.561 +/- 150.738). No correlation was observed between the activity of the two enzymes in either the hypertensive or the normotensive group. CONCLUSIONS The lower level of activity of transmembrane reductase in arterial hypertension may be implicated in cardiovascular aging processes, reinforced by greater cytosolic acid phosphatase activity, with repercussions on cell proliferation and energy metabolism, leading to atherosclerosis.