Enhanced renin-angiotensin activity causes hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. The angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme (ACE)2/Ang(1-7)/Mas axis pathway functions against Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) signaling. We investigated whether olmesartan (Olm), an AT1R blocker, inhibits cardiac hypertrophy independently of blood pressure, and evaluated the potential mechanisms. The 3- to 4-month-old m...

The classical axis of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme (ACE)/Ang II/AT1, contributes to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the role of bypass axis of RAS (Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/Ang-(1-7)/Mas) in hepatic steatosis is still unclear. Here we showed that deletion of ACE2 aggravates liver steatosis, which is corr...

The kidney is a key target organ for bioactive components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS); however, various renal cells such as the tubular epithelium contain an intrinsic RAS. The renal RAS can be functionally divided into ANG II-AT1 receptor and ANG-(1-7)-AT7/Mas receptor arms that functionally oppose one another. The current review considers both extracellular and intracellular pathway...

Angiotensin (Ang)-(1-7) is now recognized as a biologically active component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The discovery of the angiotensin-converting enzyme homologue ACE2 revealed important metabolic pathways involved in the Ang-(1-7) synthesis. This enzyme can form Ang-(1-7) from Ang II or less efficiently through hydrolysis of Ang I to Ang-(1-9) with subsequent Ang-(1-7) formation....

Ang-(1-7) [angiotensin-(1-7)] is a biologically active heptapeptide component of the RAS (renin-angiotensin system), and is generated in the kidney at relatively high levels, via enzymatic pathways that include ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2). The biological effects of Ang-(1-7) in the kidney are primarily mediated by interaction with the G-protein-coupled receptor Mas. However, other co...

Angiotensin (Ang) (1-7) is the endogenous ligand for the G protein–coupled receptor Mas, a receptor associated with cardiac, renal, and cerebral protective responses. Physiological evidence suggests that Mas receptor (MasR) undergoes agonist-dependent desensitization, but the underlying molecular mechanism regulating receptor activity is unknown. We investigated the hypothesis that MasR desensi...

Since the identification of the alternative angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor axis, renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a new complex target for a pharmacological intervention. We investigated the expression of RAS components in the heart and kidney during the development of hypertension and its perinatal treatment with losartan in young spontaneously hypertensive rats (...

Background and Aims: Targeting inflammation is nowadays considered as a challenging pharmacological strategy to prevent or delay the development of vascular diseases. Angiotensin-(1-7) is a member of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that binds Mas receptors and has gained growing attention in the last years as a regulator of vascular homeostasis. Here, we explored the capacity of Ang-(1-7) to...