Increased angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression in temporal arteries from patients with giant cell

(2009). Increased angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression in temporal arteries from patients with giant cell arteritis. Ophthalmology, 116(5), 990-996. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? This is an author produced version of a paper published in Ophthalmology. This paper has been peer-reviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination. " Increased angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression in temporal arteries from patients with giant cell arteritis. Access to the published version may require journal subscription. Corticosteroids are the only proven treatment for giant cell arteritis. This study shows upregulated angiotensin II type 1 receptors in both smooth muscle cells and inflammatory cells in the temporal arteries from patients with GCA. No authors have any financial/conflicting interests to disclose. 2 Purpose Currently, giant cell arteritis (GCA) is primarily treated with corticosteroids or immunomodulating agents, but there is interest in identifying other non-corticosteroid alternatives. Similarities exist in the injury pathways between GCA and atherosclerosis. Angiotensin II is a vasoactive peptide involved in vessel inflammation during atherosclerosis, and angiotensin II receptor inhibitors are effective in preventing atherosclerosis. The present study was performed to elucidate the role of angiotensin type 1 (AT 1) and type 2 (AT 2) receptors in GCA. Participants Ten patients with GCA and ten control patients, who were clinically suspected of having GCA but were diagnosed as not having GCA, were included. Methods Immunohistochemistry, using anti-AT 1 and anti-AT 2 antibodies, was performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded temporal arteries. Main outcome measures AT 1 and AT 2 receptor immunostaining intensity was quantified. Results Hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections of temporal arteries from patients with GCA showed intimal hyperplasia, internal elastic lamina degeneration and band-shaped infiltrates of inflammatory cells, including lymphocytes, histocytes, and multinucleated giant cells. AT 1 3 receptor staining was primarily observed in the medial layer of the temporal arteries, and was …