Effects of Moxonidine and Low‐Calorie Diet: Cardiometabolic Benefits from Combination of Both Therapies

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Vol. 25; no. 11; pp. 1894 - 1902
• Main Authors: Lambert, Elisabeth A., Sari, Carolina I., Eikelis, Nina, Phillips, Sarah E., Grima, Mariee, Straznicky, Nora E., Dixon, John B., Esler, Murray, Schlaich, Markus P., Head, Geoffrey A., Lambert, Gavin W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-11-2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antihypertensive Agents - pharmacology; Antihypertensive Agents - therapeutic use; Blood pressure; Caloric Restriction - methods; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Diabetes; Diet; Drug therapy; Humans; Hypertension; Imidazoles - pharmacology; Imidazoles - therapeutic use; Insulin; Male; Metabolic syndrome; Nervous system; Obesity; Weight control; Weight Loss - drug effects; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.21962

Objective
Because sympathetic nervous system activity plays a detrimental role in metabolic and cardiovascular health, this study compared the effects of a centrally acting sympatholytic agent, the effects of a weight loss (WL) program using a low‐calorie diet, and the effects of a combination of both.
Methods
Young (18‐30 years) male subjects with overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2) were allocated to a WL program (n = 10), a moxonidine treatment course (M; n = 10, 0.4 mg/d), a combination of both (WL + M; n = 11), or to a control (C) group (n = 6) for 6 months. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), endothelial function, renal function (Cockcroft‐Gault formula), and the metabolic profile were assessed before and after intervention.
Results
WL occurred in the WL and WL + M groups (−7.6 ± 1.9 kg, P < 0.001 in both). MSNA and systolic blood pressure decreased similarly in the WL, M, and WL + M groups (by ∼10 bursts/min, P < 0.001, and by ∼9 mm Hg, P < 0.05). All other parameters for the WL, C, and M groups remained unchanged. In the WL + M group, decreased total cholesterol (−0.78 ± 0.23 mmol/L, P < 0.001), decreased low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (−0.49 ± 0.16 mmol/L, P < 0.01), decreased insulin (−6.5 ± 2.8 mmol/L, P < 0.05), and attenuated glomerular hyperfiltration (−19 ± 5 mL/min, P < 0.01) occurred.
Conclusions
The combination of moxonidine with a WL program has beneficial effects on aspects of the metabolic profile and end organ damage in young males with overweight.