The renin angiotensin system: importance in physiology and pathology.
Angiotensin II has long been recognized as a key factor in cardiovascular regulation. The effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in controlling essential hypertension suggests that angiotensin II plays a key role in its pathology. The tools of molecular biology have provided the means for a critical reassessment of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in physiology and pathology. The analysis has shown that angiotensin peptides are also synthesized and processed locally in a variety of tissues, including the vascular wall, adrenal glands, heart, and brain. Since angiotensin II is a potent modulator of cardiovascular control centers in the brain, the hypothesis is now advanced that a defect in the brain renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system contributes to the development of hypertensive disease.
Ferrario
C M
CM
Schiavone
M T
MT
D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System
D000804:Angiotensin II