Background and aim: Increasing evidence indicates that chronic inflammation is a direct or indirect manifestation of hypertension. Potassium channels are thought to be critical for lymphocyte activation, which suggests that hypertension may be an inflammatory disease initiated at the ion channel level.

Methods: This study investigated changes in interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-b1) expression in the blood of Kazakh hypertensive patients in Northwest China using ELISA technology. Whole-cell patch clamp technology was used to evaluate current changes associated with Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 in peripheral blood T lymphocytes of hypertensive patients, and to investigate current changes induced by telmisartan. We also investigated the effects of telmisartan on expression of Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 at mRNA and protein levels in peripheral blood T lymphocytes using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis.

Results: Expression of IL-6, IL-17 and TGF-b1 in the blood of Kazakh hypertensive patients in Northwest China was significantly higher than in healthy controls (p < 0.05). The current mediated by Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 and the corresponding expression at mRNA and protein levels in T lymphocytes were also higher in these hypertensive patients than in controls (p < 0.05). Telmisartan intervention for 24 h and 48 h inhibited the current and expression of Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 at mRNA and protein levels (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: These results indicated that the increase in functional Kv1.3 and KCa3.1 channels expressed in T lymphocytes of Kazakh patients with hypertension was blocked by telmisartan, resulting in a reduced inflammatory response. These results provide theoretical support for the treatment of hypertension at the cellular ion channel level.