Med School researchers delve into heart medication's work

In a discovery which could lead to more effective treatment of congestive heart failure, researchers at the University's Medical Center have demonstrated how the popular heart medication amlodipine works on a molecular level. Director of Vascular Medicine Emile Mohler and his research team investigated the role of cytokines -- bodily proteins that regulate inflammation -- in explaining the effectiveness of amlodipine, a prescription medication which blocks the calcium channel in patients with heart failure. Mohler said the research "will hopefully open the door to develop more effective therapies for congestive heart failure," a condition that affects approximately 3 million Americans. He explained that people suffering from heart failure have higher levels of cytokine proteins circulating in their blood. Researchers currently believe that cytokines kill heart tissue cells. Over the course of 26 weeks, Mohler and his research team found that amlodipine lowered levels of cytokine in heart failure patients. He described the possibility of amlodipine helping heart failure patients by reducing cytokines "intriguing," but added that the issue has to be explored in further studies. He and his colleagues also believe that cytokine levels may have some prognostic value in treating heart disease because they found that heart failure or death were more likely to occur in patients with higher cytokine levels. "By measuring cytokines it may help us to identify those patients who may respond better to therapy," he said. "For example, if cytokine levels tend to be lower, your chances of living longer with heart failure may be better." Roger Blumenthal -- director of cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center -- said Mohler and his team have presented "useful data" on how amlodipine functions on a molecular level. He said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already approved amlodipine to treat high blood pressure, but the drug is still being tested on patients with congestive heart failure. "They have convincingly demonstrated that amlodipine may be beneficial for patients with congestive heart failure while other medications are detrimental," he said. "How much it will actually help these patients remains to be seen." The results of the study were published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Mohler presented his findings at the European Congress of Cardiology in Stockholm, Sweden in August.