Cultured endothelial cells provide a model for the study of interactions of vasoactive peptides with endothelium. Endothelial cell cultured from veins of human umbilical cords contain both angiotensin I converting enzyme (kininase II) and angiotensinase activities. Intact monolayers of cells can both activate angiotensin I and inactivate bradykinin when the peptides are added to culture flasks ...

Terezinha P. Munhoz1,2,3 Rosane M. Scheibe1,2 Virgínia M. Schmitt1,2 Venous thromboembolism is a common multifactorial disease associated with acquired and inherited predisposing factors. Several polymorphisms, e.g. factor V Leiden, factor II G20210A and deficiency of antithrombin, protein C and protein S, have been associated with venous thromboembolism. Angiotensin converting-enzyme affects h...

Angiotensin receptor blockers are usually considered as equivalent to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors for patients with heart failure and low-ejection fraction. Some guidelines even recommend the former as first line treatment given their better adverse effects profile. Searching in Epistemonikos database, which is maintained by screening 30 databases, we identified four systematic rev...

Uncritical Acceptance of Combination Treatment of Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor in Nondiabetic Renal Disease Trial Results To the Editor: We have just read the published editorial in the present issue of Hypertension by Kaplan1 with great interest. We very much agree with his comments and, in particular, share his concerns with respect to an uncriti...

We compared the effects of the converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril on components of the renin-angiotensin system in plasma and kidney of male Sprague-Dawley rats administered perindopril in their drinking water at two doses (1.4 and 4.2 mg/kg) over 7 days. Eight angiotensin peptides were measured in plasma and kidney: angiotensin-(1-7), angiotensin II, angiotensin-(1-9), angiotensin I, angi...

Indeed, the sample size limitation is a universal bias in all of the genetic polymorphisms in heart failure and the ACE-genotype was no different. The metanalysis by Bai et al.1. with 17 different studies included 2.453 cases (i.e. heart failure patients) from all over the world with only 60.3% being white individuals. The author concluded that there was no association between ACE DD genotype a...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Percutaneous coronary intervention, despite being effective for coronary revascularization, causes in-stent restenosis due to neointimal hyperplasia in a large number of patients. The renin-angiotensin system is involved in neointimal hyperplasia. This study sought to evaluate seven gene polymorphisms of key renin-angiotensin system components, including angiotensinogen...

OBJECTIVES This study examined the hypothesis that patients who develop angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor intolerance attributable to circulatory-renal limitations (CRLimit) have more severe underlying disease and worse outcome. BACKGROUND Although the renin-angiotensin system contributes to the progression of heart failure (HF), it also supports the failing circulation. Patients with t...

Introduction: Renin angiotensin system has an important role in blood pressure and renal functions. Active angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 converts angiotensin I into angiotensin-(1-7) which is a vasodilator hormone and interacts with nitric oxide changes as well as other angiotensin II receptors. In this study we evaluated the role of Mas receptor antagonist (A779) and renal perfusion press...