The tissue renin-angiotensin systems in cardiovascular disease.
The renin-angiotensin system, in its classic definition, is known as an endocrine system that exerts its actions through the effector peptide, angiotensin II, in various organs to act as a vasoconstrictor and a regulator of salt and volume homeostasis. The availability of more sensitive methods to study the biochemistry and pharmacology as well as the molecular biology of the RAS has expanded our knowledge of the system and provided new perspectives of autocrine and paracrine functions of the RAS in cardiovascular regulation. One of the more exciting of these recently described actions is the possible involvement of the RAS in the adaptive processes related to cardiovascular hypertrophy and angiogenesis.
German Institute for High Blood Pressure Research and Department of Pharmacology, University of Heidelberg, W-6900 Heidelberg, Germany.
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Paul
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Bachmann
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Ganten