Effect of zolmitriptan on blood pressure-relevant cardiovascular biomarkers in rats with experimentally induced hypertension

Background and objective: Zolmitriptan is among widely used medicines for the management of migraine attach, zolmitriptan is acting through stimulating serotonin (5-HT1B/1D) receptors that will cause cranial vasoconstriction. This study was aimed to compare and evaluate the impact of zolmitriptan on the relevant cardiovascular and renal biomarkers during hypertension in rats with experimentally induced hypertension. Methods: Twenty-four Wister albino male rats were randomly divided into four groups of six rats each. The first group (Group I) of rats served as the control group. To induce hypertension, the rats in the second (Group II), third (Group III) and fourth (Group IV) groups have received an intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride CdCl2 a dose of 1.5 mg/kg/day for 14 days. The rats in Group II were considered as the positive control. Whereas, rats in Group III received zolmitriptan orally (2 mg/kg/day), and Group IV rats received nifedipine dose of 10mg/kg for two weeks concurrently with CdCl2. Results: Inducing hypertension with CdCl2 injection significantly increased the systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure in Group II compared with Group I, respectively. The systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure in rats that received zolmitriptan did not exhibit any statistically significant differences from the rats in Group II, whereas nifedipine has significantly reduced blood pressure in group IV rats. Intraperitoneal injection of CdCl2 increased the concentrations of endothelin and nitric oxide as well as renin activity level in hypertensive Group II rats compared to control rats. Zolmitriptan administration did not produce any significant change in the endothelin and nitric oxide levels. Inducing hypertension in rats significantly reduced the corticosterone level. In contrast, administering medications in Group III and VI rats did not produce any statistically significant change in the serum concentration of corticosterone. Conclusion: Zolmitriptan administration (2 mg/kg/day, p.o) showed no statistically significant effects on the systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure in rats with experimentally induced hypertension. Zolmitriptan has also failed to produce any statistically significant change in the levels of endothelin-1, renin, nitric oxide, corticosterone, and serum creatinine in rats with hypertension.