The survival benefit conferred by angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in patients with heart failure has led to an intense interest in the mechanisms underlying the action of angiotensin II.1,2 However, ACE inhibition therapy does not completely block angiotensin II production, and in some patients angiotensin II remains elevated, in part because of the conversion of angiotensin I to ...

BACKGROUND Vasoconstrictive, proliferative and oxidative effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) are mediated by Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptors. The effects of Ang II via the Ang II type 2 (AT2) receptor subtype (AT2R) are less well defined. Growing evidence shows the existence of cross-talk between the Ang II receptor subtypes, which is revealed by AT1R blockade. Hence, under certain conditions, AT2...

BACKGROUND This is a cross-sectional study designed to evaluate the histologic characteristics of graft injury in the presence of anti-angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibody (AT1R-Ab) and anti-endothelial cell antibody (AECA). METHODS Non-HLA antibody testing was included in the posttransplant evaluation for 70 kidney recipients. Biopsies were performed for cause for 47 patients and as proto...

The blockade of angiotensin II (Ang II) is a major therapeutic strategy for diabetic nephropathy. The main roles of Ang II in renal disease are mediated via the Ang type 1 receptor (AT1R). Upregulation of clusterin/apolipoprotein J has been reported in nephropathy models, suggesting it has a protective role in nephropathogenesis. Here, we studied how clusterin acts against Ang II-induced renal ...

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays important roles in ageing-related disorders through its type 1 receptor (AT1 R). However, the role and underlying mechanisms of AT1R in ageing-related vascular degeneration are not well understood. In this study, 40 ageing rats were randomly divided into two groups: ageing group which received no treatment (ageing control), and valsartan group which took valsartan ...

Significant reduction of renal mass triggers a chain of events that result in glomerular hypertension/hyperfiltration, proteinuria, glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial injury, and end-stage renal disease. These events are mediated by a constellation of hemodynamic, oxidative, and inflammatory reactions that are, in part, driven by local AT1 receptor (AT1r) activation by angiotensin II (Ang I...

Our laboratory demonstrated previously that spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibited an elevated basal Fos expression in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), the terminal site for primary baroreceptor afferents, and that Fos protein is required for the re-expression of angiotensin subtype 1 receptor (AT1R) mRNA in the NTS after baroreceptor activation. The present study evaluated the hyp...

investigated the role of calpain in the endothelial dysfunction of Ang II. Objective: To demonstrate a mechanistic role for calpain in the endothelial dysfunction induced by Ang II/AT1R signaling. To establish endothelial-expressed calpains as an important target of AT1R signaling. Methods and Results: Subchronic administration of nonpressor doses of Ang II to rats and mice significantly increa...

RATIONALE Vascular wall stretch is the major stimulus for the myogenic response of small arteries to pressure. The molecular mechanisms are elusive, but recent findings suggest that G protein-coupled receptors can elicit a stretch response. OBJECTIVE To determine whether angiotensin II type 1 receptors (AT1R) in vascular smooth muscle cells exert mechanosensitivity and identify the downstream...