We investigated the angiotensin II (Ang II)-generating system by analyzing the vasoconstrictor effect of Ang II, angiotensin J (Ang I), and tetradecapeptide (TDP) renin substrate in the absence and presence of inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system in isolated rat aortic rings and mesenteric arterial beds with and without functional endothelium. Ang II, Ang I, and TDP elicited a dose-depend...

Chronic hypertension induces cardiac remodeling, including left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis, through a combination of both hemodynamic and humoral factors. In previous studies, we showed that the heptapeptide ANG-(1-7) prevented mitogen-stimulated growth of cardiac myocytes in vitro, through a reduction in the activity of the MAPKs ERK1 and ERK2. In this study, saline- or ANG II-infuse...

Intrarenal angiotensin II (Ang II) is regulated by several complex processes involving formation from both systemically delivered and intrarenally formed substrate, as well as receptor-mediated internalization. There is substantial compartmentalization of intrarenal Ang II, with levels in the renal interstitial fluid and in proximal tubule fluid being much greater than can be explained from the...

Previous studies have indicated that angiotensin II (Ang II) concentrations in renal interstitial fluid are much higher than plasma levels. In the present study, we performed experiments to explore renal interstitial fluid concentrations of Ang I and Ang II further and to determine whether these levels are altered by acute arterial infusion of an ACE inhibitor (enalaprilat) or by volume expansi...

Renin (RA) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activities and angiotensinogen, ANG I, and ANG II levels were measured in the kidney (cortex and medulla) and plasma of Wistar-Kyoto rats on a low-sodium (LS; 0.025% NaCl; n = 8), normal-sodium (NS; 1% NaCl; n = 7), or high-sodium (HS; 8% NaCl; n = 7) diet for 21 days. RA, ANG I, and ANG II levels increased in a manner inversely related to sodi...

Chansel, Dominique, Stanislas Czekalski, Sophie Vandermeersch, Emmanuel Ruffet, Marie-Claude FourniéZaluski, and Raymond Ardaillou. Characterization of angiotensin IV-degrading enzymes and receptors on rat mesangial cells. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Renal Physiol. 44): F535– F542, 1998.—Because mesangial cells (MC) are a target and a degradation site for angiotensin II (ANG II), we characterized the ...

Angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates hypertrophy of glomerular mesangial cells. The signalling mechanism by which Ang II exerts this effect is not precisely known. Downstream potential targets of Ang II are the extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/ERK2). We demonstrate that Ang II activates ERK1/ERK2 via the AT1 receptor. Arachidonic acid (AA) mimics the action of Ang II on ERK1/E...

UNLABELLED Angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7))/AT7-Mas receptor axis is an alternative pathway within the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) that generally opposes the actions of Ang II/AT1 receptor pathway. Advanced glycated end product (AGEs) including glucose- and methylglyoxal-modified albumin (MGA) may contribute to the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy in part through activation o...

Cardiovascular effects of angiotensin-(1-12) [ANG-(1-12)] were studied in the medial nucleus of the tractus solitarius (mNTS) in anesthetized, artificially ventilated, adult male Wistar rats. Microinjections (100 nl) of ANG-(1-12) (0.06 mM) into the mNTS elicited maximum decreases in mean arterial pressure (MAP; 34 ± 5.8 mmHg) and heart rate (HR; 39 ± 3.7 beats/min). Bilateral vagotomy abolishe...

We used a modification of the isolated perfused rat heart, in which coronary effluent and interstitial transudate were separately collected, to investigate the localization and production of angiotensin II (Ang II) in the heart. During combined renin (0.7 to 1.5 pmol Ang I/mL per minute) and angiotensinogen (6 to 12 pmol/mL) perfusion (4 to 8 mL/min) for 60 minutes (n=3), the steady-state level...