We measured the cleavage of angiotensin I (Ang I) metabolites by angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) in cultured cells and examined how they augment actions of bradykinin B2 receptor agonists. Monolayers of Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected to stably express human ACE and bradykinin B2 receptors coupled to green fluorescent protein (B2GFP) or to express only coupled B2GFP receptors. We ...

BACKGROUND To determine whether initial reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced endothelial cell injury is involved in early death after paraquat intoxication and concentrations of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), and von Willebrand factor (VWF) reflecting endothelial cell injury, we investigated the initial endothelial cell injury marker involved in the pathogenesis of death withi...

INTRODUCTION Angiogenic factors such as angiopoietin 1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2) are biomarkers produced during activation and dysfunction of the vascular endothelium in several infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of Ang-1 and Ang-2 and to establish their relationship with the main indicators of worst-case prognosis in patients with P. vivax mal...

OBJECTIVE To assess the importance, for vasoconstriction, of in situ angiotensin (Ang) II generation, as opposed to ang II delivery to AT receptors via the organ bath fluid. METHODS Ang I and II concentration-response curves in human and porcine coronary arteries (HCAs, PCAs) were constructed in relation to estimates of the clearances of Ang I and II (ClAngI, ClAngII) from the organ bath and ...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition (ACEi) ameliorates the development of hypertension and the intrarenal ANG II augmentation in ANG II-infused mice. To determine if these effects are associated with changes in the mouse intrarenal renin-angiotensin system, the expression of angiotensinogen (AGT), renin, ACE, angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT(1)R) mRNA (by quanitative RT-PCR) and prote...

It is absolutely astounding that over a hundred years after the discovery of renin, important new discoveries continue to be made concerning the importance of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in biology and disease. In addition to its accepted role as a modulator of blood pressure and fluid volume, it is now clear that the RAS contributes to renal development (reviewed in Reference 1), and mo...

The early stage of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is characterized by the formation of subretinal pigment epithelium (RPE) deposits as a result of the dysregulation in the turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. However, the mechanism involved remains unclear. Hypertension (HTN) is an important risk factor for AMD, and angiotensin II (ANG II) is the most important hormone asso...

To investigate the role of human liver-type fatty acid binding protein (hL-FABP) in angiotensin (Ang) II-induced renal injury, Ang II was infused systemically into hL-FABP chromosomal transgenic (Tg) and wild-type (WT) mice (Tg-Ang II and WT-Ang II) for 28 days. Control mice were injected with saline only (Tg-control and WT-control). hL-FABP was expressed in proximal tubules of Tg mice. After a...

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been shown to function as a key role in neovascularization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but little is known its underlying mechanisms. The aim of this study was to explore the role of Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway in Ang II-induced HCC angiogenic factors production. Herein, we found that Ang II upregu...