Effects of nebivolol on platelet activation in hypertensive patients: A comparative study with metoprolol

Objectives We evaluated the effects of nebivolol on platelet activation in hypertensive patients by measuring mean platelet volume (MPV) and plasma soluble P-selectin (sP-sel) levels and compared with those of the patients taking metoprolol. Materials and methods Eighty newly diagnosed hypertensive patients in grade 1 hypertension were enrolled in this prospective, blinded randomized study. Seventy two patients completed the study. After baseline assessment, each patient was randomly allocated to 5 mg daily dose of nebivolol (n = 37, 20 male) or 100 mg daily dose of metoprolol (n = 35, 18 male) and treated for 6 months. Blood pressure, heart rate, lipid profile, plasma glucose, sP-selectin levels, platelet counts and MPV were measured before and after treatment. Results At the end of 6 months, nebivolol significantly decreased MPV and plasma sP-selectin levels (7.59 ± 0.78 fl vs. 7.42 ± 0.74 fl, p < 0.001; 1.29 ± 0.46 ng/ml vs. 1.21 ± 0.36 ng/ml, p = 0.002, respectively) compared to those of pretreatment. Although pretreatment sP-selectin levels of the two groups were similar, posttreatment plasma sP-selectin levels were significantly reduced with nebivolol compared with those of metoprolol group (1.21 ± 0.36 ng/ml vs. 1.46 ± 0.30 ng/ml, p = 0.008). In contrast, metoprolol treatment did not cause any significant change in platelet activation parameters after treatment. Conclusion Beneficial effects of nebivolol on platelet activation were more potent than those of metoprolol. We consider that decreased platelet activation with nebivolol might play a role to reduce thrombotic risk in hypertensive patients.