Effect of race and hypertension on plasma amylin concentrations.

Amylin is a recently discovered peptide hormone composed of 37 amino acids that is cosecreted with insulin by pancreatic beta cells. Amylin has been reported to be present in increased amounts in insulin-resistant subjects who are hyper-insulinemic. Because blacks and whites differ in the prevalence of both hypertension and diabetes, we examined amylin levels in 77 individuals; 42 were black (11 hypertensive and 31 normotensive) and 35 were white (10 hypertensive and 25 normotensive) individuals who were either healthy control subjects or hypertensive subjects not receiving antihypertensive medication. Plasma amylin concentrations were measured in two separate monoclonal antibody-based immunofluorescent sandwich-type assays. The F002-2 capture antibody binds amylin plus at least two additional amylin-like peptides, and the F024-4 capture antibody detectably binds only the amylin peptide. There was a significant race-by-diagnosis interaction for levels of amylin immunoreactivity during a 2-hour glucose tolerance test (P<.005 for F002-2 antibody and P<.05 for F024-4 antibody). Highest levels were found in black hypertensive subjects. The results appear to fit with previously observed differences in metabolic status between blacks and whites and with the association between hypertension and alterations in metabolic status.