title: Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system upregulates cyclooxygenase-2 expression in the macula densa.
abstract: The expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) in the late thick ascending limb, including the macula densa, is found to be upregulated in an activated renin-angiotensin system. How this upregulation is managed is not yet known. We therefore considered the possibility that the stimulation of COX-2 expression is triggered by the activation of the renin-angiotensin system. For this purpose, we treated male Sprague-Dawley rats with the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril (10 mg/kg per day), the angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor blocker losartan (30 mg/kg per day), and the angiotensin II type 2 (AT(2)) receptor blocker PD123319 (6 mg/kg per day) for 4 days. We determined the expression of COX-2 mRNA and protein in the renal cortex. We found that ramipril and the AT(1) receptor blocker losartan increased COX-2 mRNA and COX-2 immunoreactivity in the macula densa approximately 4-fold, whereas the AT(2) blocker PD123319 showed no effect. A low-salt diet (0.02% wt/wt) stimulated COX-2 expression in the kidney cortex <2-fold. The combination of a low-salt diet with ramipril led to a further increase of COX-2 mRNA and COX-2 immunoreactivity compared with low salt or ramipril alone. These data indicate that endogenous angiotensin II apparently inhibits COX-2 expression in the macula densa via AT(1) receptors and can therefore not account for the stimulation of COX-2 expression associated with an activated renin-angiotensin system. Because macula densa-derived prostaglandins are considered stimulators of renin secretion and renin synthesis, inhibition of macula densa COX-2 by angiotensin II could form a novel indirect negative feedback control of the renin system.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Physiologie, Universität Regensburg, Germany. konrad.wolf@vkl.uni-regensburg.de
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Castrop
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hartner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goppelt-Strübe
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Hilgers
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurtz
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012083:Renin / Q000378:metabolism; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011453:Prostaglandins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000804:Angiotensin II; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; C496513:Ptgs1 protein, rat; D012083:Renin