Lisinopril

Lisinopril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor commonly used as a first-line treatment for high blood pressure, and also used for heart failure, after heart attacks, and to help prevent kidney complications in people with diabetes. It works by blocking the angiotensin-converting enzyme, preventing angiotensin I from being converted into angiotensin II, which in turn relaxes blood vessels and reduces the release of the hormone aldosterone. Lisinopril descends from captopril, the first ACE inhibitor, which was derived from the venom of a Brazilian pit viper; Merck scientists first developed enalapril to improve on captopril's side effects, then created lisinopril by modifying enalaprilat's structure, finding that adding the amino acid lysine gave an orally effective drug, from which lisinopril takes its name. The compound was patented in 1978 and approved for hypertension in 1987 and for congestive heart failure in 1993, and by 2023 it ranked as the fourth most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than seventy six million prescriptions.