OBJECTIVE Polymorphisms in several genes of the renin-angiotensin system have been implicated as risk factors for myocardial infarction and ischaemic heart disease. In particular, it has been suggested that the angiotensin converting enzyme insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and the angiotensin II type 1 receptor A1166C polymorphisms might act synergistically to increase the risk of myocardi...

Objective: Hypertension is an important cause of cardiovascular disorders. The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) plays an important role in hypertension; therefore, inhibition of ACE in treatment of chronically elevated blood pressure is an important therapeutic approach. In the current review, we have p...

We measured the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (ED 3.4.15.1) in urine samples from normal subjects and patients with nephrotic syndrome and chronic glomerulonephritis. Urinary excretion of angiotensin converting enzyme in patients with nephrotic syndrome (1.58 +/- 0.50 (SD) units/day; n = 15) and chronic glomerulonephritis (1.01 +/- 0.45 units/day; n = 12) was significantly increased...

1. The various angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have structural differences which affect their affinities for the catalytic sites on converting enzyme. We postulated that such differences might result in differences in renoprotective efficacy. We investigated this in the diabetic spontaneous hypertensive rat. We also investigated whether these differences might reflect variations in glo...

The Japan Multicenter Investigation for Cardiovascular Diseases-B was performed to investigate whether nifedipine retard treatment was associated with a significantly higher incidence of cardiac events than angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor treatment in Japanese patients. The study used a prospective, randomized, open, blinded endpoint (PROBE) design. Patients were enrolled at 354 Japanes...

The zinc metalloprotease, neprilysin (NEP), plays a role in the metabolism of cardiovascular, inflammatory and neuropeptides, including mitogenic peptides such as bombesin. In the cardiovascular system, NEP has a primary role in the inactivation of natriuretic peptides but also contributes to local metabolism of angiotensin, endothelins and bradykinin. Hence NEP is seen as a potential therapeut...

Recent data have revealed biological and genetic variability in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats, which are considered to be the most appropriate control strain for spontaneously hypertensive rats. To investigate the possibility that angiotensin converting enzyme activity could be affected by this variability, we measured plasma and tissue (lung, heart, renal cortex, renal medulla, and adrenal gl...