It is now clear that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have an important role in the management of patients after myocardial infarction. Several clinical trials have shown statistically significant reductions in mortality (SAVE, AIRE, GISSI-3, ISIS4).1-4 Some may argue that the weight of evidence favours wide, if not universal, use of ACE inhibitors among post-infarct patients. Doe...

Not all of the cardiovascular effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can be attributed to changes in angiotensin II and bradykinin levels. Because the cytoplasmic tail of ACE is phosphorylated, we determined whether ACE inhibitors affect the phosphorylation of ACE and whether ACE possesses the characteristics of a signal transduction molecule. The ACE inhibitors ramiprilat an...

ACE2, initially cloned from a human heart, is a recently described homologue of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) but contains only a single enzymatic site that catalyzes the cleavage of angiotensin I to angiotensin 1-9 [Ang(1-9)] and is not inhibited by classic ACE inhibitors. It also converts angiotensin II to Ang(1-7). Although the role of ACE2 in the regulation of the renin-angiotensin sy...

Aortic aneurysm is a chronic degenerative condition associated with atherosclerosis. Recent studies have revealed that angiotensin (Ang) II plays important roles in atherosclerosis. In this study, to investigate the relationship between aortic aneurysm and Ang II, we measured the activities of the angiotensin (Ang) II-forming enzymes, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and chymase-like enzyme,...

Introduction: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is an exopeptidase that converts Angiotensin I to Angiotensin II. Angiotensin II is a potent vasoconstrictor and releases aldosterone, and have a critical role in hypertension. In this study, ACE insertion / deletion (I/D) polymorphism and ACE activity was determined in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and normal subjects. The corr...

www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 461 Renin-Angiotensin System The renin-angiotensin system is systemically and locally driven. The systemic process is triggered by the kidney’s response to decreased effective blood volume and begins with the secretion of renin from the renal cortex. Once released, renin cleaves angiotensinogen to form angiotensin I. This product, in turn, is catalyzed...

Background and aims: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most common cause of end-stage renal failure which could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and morbidity and mortality in patients. The aim of this study was to investigate new modalities for treatment of diabetic nephropathy. Methods:This study was a mini-review research to investigate drugs that are used for DN treatment. Resul...

There are conflicting reports on cancer risk associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). This retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the risk of cancer development in patients who received ACE inhibitors/ARBs as treatment for essential hypertension. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 297,688 eligibl...

Hypertension remains one of the most unmet medical needs of this century. While many drugs are available for treating hypertension, efforts are still insufficient to find potent therapeutic agents since cause for hypertension in all patients is not the same. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) have emerged as an important class of drugs in the treatment of hypertension, congestive ...