angiotensin-i and Cardiomegaly

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a protein consisting of two domains, the N-terminus is a carboxypeptidase homologous to ACE and the C-terminus is homologous to collectrin and responsible for the trafficking of the neutral amino acid transporter B(0)AT1 to the plasma membrane of gut epithelial cells. The carboxypeptidase domain not only metabolizes angiotensin II to angiotensin-(1-7), but also other peptide substrates, such as apelin, kinins and morphins. In addition, the collectrin domain regulates the levels of some amino acids in the blood, in particular of tryptophan. Therefore it is of no surprise that animals with genetic alterations in the expression of ACE2 develop a diverse pattern of phenotypes ranging from hypertension, metabolic and behavioural dysfunctions, to impairments in serotonin synthesis and neurogenesis. This review summarizes the phenotypes of such animals with a particular focus on the central nervous system.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Brain; Brain Diseases; Cardiomegaly; Models, Animal; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Phenotype; Serotonin; Stress, Psychological; Tryptophan

The review describes DAA-I (des-aspartate-angiotensin-I) as a prototype of a novel class of drugs that acts as agonists on the angiotensin AT1 receptor or ARAs (angiotensin receptor agonists). DAA-I is a component of the renin angiotensin system. Earlier studies showed that it was rapidly metabolized to angiotensin III. However, when administered at doses below the Km of enzymes, DAA-I produces specific actions that antagonize the deleterious actions of angiotensin II. DAA-I exerts protective actions in animal models of eight human pathologies in which angiotensin II is implicated. The pathologies include cardiac hypertrophy, neointima growth and cardiovascular hypertrophy, myocardial-ischemia reperfusion injury, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, chemical induced inflammation, and exercise-induced skeletal muscle inflammation. Binding of DAA-I to the angiotensin AT1 receptors releases prostaglandins, which could either function as autocrines/paracrines or second messengers and attenuate the deleterious actions of angiotensin II. It is possible that in in vivo DAA-I functions as a physiological antagonist to angiotensin II, and exogenous DAA-I is a novel class of angiotensin receptor drug that could rival the angiotensin receptor blockers.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1

Inhibition of angiotensin II action or its formation by angiotensin-converting enzyme has been highly successful in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Since the identification of chymase as a major angiotensin II-forming enzyme in the human heart and its vessels more than a decade ago, numerous studies have sought to understand the importance of this enzyme in tissue angiotensin II formation and in the pathogenesis of hypertension, congestive heart failure, and vascular disease. Recent studies show that chymase and angiotensin-converting enzyme regulate angiotensin II production in distinct tissue compartments and that, in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, chymase-dependent effects extend beyond its ability to regulate tissue angiotensin II levels.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Arteriosclerosis; Cardiomegaly; Cardiovascular Diseases; Chymases; Heart Diseases; Heart Failure; Humans; Hypertension; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Serine Endopeptidases

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Blood Flow Velocity; Cardiomegaly; Coronary Vessels; Dogs; Humans; Hypoxia; In Vitro Techniques; Myocardial Ischemia; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Renin-Angiotensin System; Swine

Extracellular matrix (ECM) in the heart and vascular wall includes fibrous proteins and proteoglycans. Fibrous proteins are classified within two categories: structural (collagen and elastin) and adhesive molecules (laminin and fibronectin). These ECM components are important in maintenance of both structure and function of the heart and vascular tissues. Myocardial infarction, hypertrophy, hypertension and heart failure are well known to be associated with progressive cardiac fibrosis. Vascular hypertrophy and thickening has been associated with the pathological series of events that attends both hypertension and restenosis. The accumulation of ECM in the cardiovascular system plays an important role in the development of heart failure after myocardial infarction and hypertension, as well as in vascular hypertrophy and restenosis. Angiotensin II (angiotensin) and transforming growth factor beta 1 are known to play a role in signalling the abnormal accumulation of ECM in these cardiovascular diseases. Administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor type 1 antagonist is associated with regression of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis as well as vascular hypertrophy.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Cardiomegaly; Cardiovascular Diseases; Collagen; Elastin; Extracellular Matrix; Fibronectins; Heart Failure; Humans; Myocardial Infarction; Proteoglycans

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Heart Failure; Kidney; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Renin-Angiotensin System

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Fibrosis; Hypertension; Imidazoles; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Losartan; Male; Peptide Fragments; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sulfonamides; Thiophenes; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase

Isoproterenol (ISO)-induced heart failure is a standardized model for the study of beneficial effects of various drugs. Both apelin and angiotensin 1-7 have a cardiac protective effect. We assumed that co-therapy with apelin and angiotensin 1-7 (Ang (1-7)) may have synergistic cardioprotective effects against isoproterenol-induced heart failure. Methods The animals were randomly assigned to one of eight groups of seven animals in each group as follows: (1) control I (saline; IP injection) (1) control II (saline; via mini-osmotic pump) (3) ISO (5 mg/ kg; IP), (4) Apelin (20μg/ kg; IP), (5) Ang (1-7) (30 μg/kg/day; via mini-osmotic pump), (6) Apelin+ISO, (7) Ang (1-7)+ISO, (8) Apelin+Ang (1-7)+ISO. Rat myocardial injury was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 5mg/kg of ISO for ten days. Apelin and Ang (1-7) were administered 30 minutes before ISO injection.. A decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP; p<0.001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; p<0.05), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP; p<0.001), left ventricular contractility (dP / dt max; p<0.001), relaxation (dP / dt min; p<0.001) and an increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP; p<0.001) were observed in ISO-treated rats. Plasma LDH and myocardial and plasma MDA were higher in the ISO heart than in controls (P<0.001). Histopathological examination of cardiac tissue showed myocardial fibrosis and leukocyte infiltration in ISO-treated rats as compared to control. Co- therapy with apelin and Ang (1-7) was more effective than either agent used alone in restoring these parameters to that of control rats.. The results of this study showed that the combination of apelin and ang (1-7) had a more cardioprotective effect than either used alone against ISO-induced heart failure, and co-therapy may be a useful treatment option for myocardial injuries and heart failure.

Topics: Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Angiotensin I; Animals; Apelin; Cardiomegaly; Heart Failure; Hemodynamics; Isoproterenol; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Male; Malondialdehyde; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Vasodilator Agents

Exercise promotes physiological cardiac hypertrophy and activates the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which plays an important role in cardiac physiology, both through the classical axis [angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) activated by angiotensin II (ANG II)] and the alternative axis [proto-oncogene Mas receptor (MASR) activated by angiotensin-(1-7)]. However, very intense exercise could have deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system. We aimed to analyze the cardiac hypertrophy phenotype and the classical and alternative RAS axes in the myocardium of mice submitted to swimming exercises of varying volume and intensity for the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Male

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; Male; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Renin-Angiotensin System; Swimming; Ventricular Remodeling

Appropriate exercise training (ExT) has been shown to decrease high blood pressure. Accumulating data have indicated the beneficial effects of ExT on prehypertension. This study tested whether prehypertension ExT protects against hypertension and cardiac remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and explored the underlying mechanisms by examining the cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 signaling axes. Low-intensity ExT was started in male SHR and control Wistar-Kyoto rats prior to the onset of hypertension and maintained for 8 or 16 weeks. Blood pressure (BP) was measured biweekly by the tail-cuff method. Cardiac function and remodeling were assessed, and changes in the ACE and ACE2 axes were examined after the final ExT session. The results showed that prehypertension ExT slowed the onset and progression of hypertension in SHR. In parallel, hypertrophy in the hearts of hypertensive rats was attenuated, myocardial fibrosis was reduced, and impairment of left ventricular diastolic function was reduced. In the SHR myocardium, the levels of components involved in the ACE-Ang II-AT1 axis were homogeneously and progressively increased, whereas those involved in the ACE2-Ang(1-7)-MAS axis were heterogeneously decreased. Different temporal responses were observed for the key effectors Ang II and Ang(1-7). Myocardial Ang II levels were progressively increased in SHR and were consistently reduced by ExT. By contrast, Ang(1-7) decreased only after 16 weeks of sedentariness, and this decrease was abolished by ExT. In addition, 16 weeks of ExT increased the levels of Ang(1-7) in normotensive control rats. In summary, prehypertension ExT attenuates hypertension and cardiac remodeling. Downregulation of Ang II seems to serve as a protective mechanism during ExT, while upregulation of Ang(1-7) is induced after a relatively long period of ExT.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Diastole; Male; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Prehypertension; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Ventricular Remodeling

Cardiac pressure and humoral factors induce cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, which are characterized by increased stiffness, reduced contractility and altered perfusion. Angiotensin II (AngII) is well known to promote this pathology. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2, which cleaves AngII and forms Ang-(1-7), exerts protective anti-hypertrophy and anti-fibrosis effects. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17), a membrane-bound enzyme reported to cleave ACE2, may participate in the pathological process of AngII perfusion-induced heart damage. However, researchers have not clearly determined whether dickkopf-3 (DKK3) regulates the ADAM17/ACE2 pathway and, if so, whether DKK3-mediated regulation is related to the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)/β-catenin pathway. In this study, we explored whether DKK3 overexpression ameliorates the development of AngII-induced cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy through the ADAM17/ACE2 and GSK-3β/β-catenin pathways.. Mice were injected with a DKK3-overexpressing adenovirus or vehicle and then infused with AngII or saline using subcutaneously implanted mini-pumps for four weeks. Hearts were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichrome and immunohistochemical markers for histology. Primary fibroblasts were treated with the adenovirus and AngII and then examined using western blotting, EdU (5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine) assays and immunofluorescence. Additionally, siRNA silencing was performed to study the role of DKK3 and the involved pathways.. AngII-induced cardiac hypertrophy and interstitial and perivascular fibrosis were less severe in DKK3-overexpressing mice than in control mice. Moreover, the expression levels of fibrotic genes, such as collagen I and III, and the hypertrophic genes atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and beta-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) were decreased. DKK3 overexpression also exerted a protective effect by inhibiting ADAM17 phosphorylation, thus increasing ACE2 expression and subsequently promoting AngII degradation. Furthermore, this process was mediated by the inhibition of GSK-3β and β-catenin and decreased translocation of β-catenin to the nucleus. On the other hand, the DKK3 knockdown by siRNA achieved opposite results.. DKK3 overexpression substantially alleviated AngII infusion-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis by regulating ADAM17/ACE2 pathway activity and inhibiting the GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway.

Topics: ADAM17 Protein; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Apoptosis; beta Catenin; Cardiomegaly; Cell Proliferation; Disease Models, Animal; Fibroblasts; Fibrosis; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; Inflammation; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Matrix Metalloproteinases; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Perfusion; Phosphorylation; Signal Transduction; Smad3 Protein; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

Patients with hyperthyroidism exhibit increased risk of development and progression of cardiac diseases. The activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been indirectly implicated in these cardiac effects observed in hyperthyroidism. Angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) has previously been shown to counterbalance pathological effects of angiotensin II (Ang II). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of elevated circulating Ang-(1-7) levels on cardiac effects promoted by hyperthyroidism in a transgenic rat (TG) model that constitutively overexpresses an Ang-(1-7)-producing fusion protein [TGR(A1-7)3292]. TG and wild-type (WT) rats received daily injections (i.p.) of triiodothyronine (T3; 7 µg/100 g of body weight (BW)) or vehicle for 14 days. In contrast with WT rats, the TG rats did not develop cardiac hypertrophy after T3 treatment. Indeed, TG rats displayed reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) and cardiac hyperdynamic condition induced by hyperthyroidism. Moreover, increased plasma levels of Ang II observed in hyperthyroid WT rats were prevented in TG rats. TG rats were protected from glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) inactivation and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) nuclear accumulation induced by T3.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Cells, Cultured; Echocardiography; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; Hyperthyroidism; Male; Myocytes, Cardiac; NFATC Transcription Factors; Peptide Fragments; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats, Transgenic; Rats, Wistar; Renin-Angiotensin System; Signal Transduction; Triiodothyronine

The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effect of ANG-(1-7) on the development of cardiac hypertrophy and to identify the intracellular mechanism underlying this action of ANG-(1-7). Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded using radiotelemetry before and after chronic subcutaneous infusion of control (PBS), ANG II, ANG-(1-7), or ANG II + ANG-(1-7) for 4 wk in normotensive rats. Chronic administration of ANG-(1-7) did not affect either basal blood pressure or the ANG II-induced elevation in blood pressure. However, ANG-(1-7) significantly attenuated ANG II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and perivascular fibrosis in these rats. These effects of ANG-(1-7) were confirmed in cultured cardiomyocytes, in which ANG-(1-7) significantly attenuated ANG II-induced increases in cell size. This protective effect of ANG-(1-7) was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with A779 (a Mas receptor antagonist) or Mito-TEMPO (a mitochondria-targeting superoxide scavenger) as well as blockade of Sirt3 (a deacetylation-acting protein) by viral vector-mediated overexpression of sirtuin (Sirt)3 short hairpin (sh)RNA. Western blot analysis demonstrated that treatment with ANG-(1-7) dramatically increased Sirt3 expression. In addition, ANG-(1-7) attenuated the ANG II-induced increase in mitochondrial ROS generation, an effect that was abolished by A779 or Sirt3 shRNA. Moreover, ANG-(1-7) increased FoxO3a deacetylation and SOD2 expression, and these effects were blocked by Sirt3 shRNA. In summary, the protective effects of ANG-(1-7) on ANG II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and increased mitochondrial ROS production are mediated by elevated SOD2 expression via stimulation of Sirt3-dependent deacetylation of FoxO3a in cardiomyocytes. Thus, activation of the ANG-(1-7)/Sirt3 signaling pathway could be a novel therapeutic strategy in the management of cardiac hypertrophy and associated complications.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Cardiotonic Agents; Cell Size; Fibrosis; Male; Myocytes, Cardiac; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reactive Oxygen Species; Signal Transduction; Sirtuins; Superoxide Dismutase

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a key role in the control of vasoconstriction as well as sodium and fluid retention mediated mainly by angiotensin (Ang) II acting at the AT

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; beta-Arrestins; Cardiomegaly; Cardiotonic Agents; Diastole; Heart; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Male; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Peptide Fragments; Phosphorylation; Rats; Rats, Inbred WF; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Signal Transduction

We previously reported that exogenous angiotensin (Ang) 1-7 has adverse cardiac effects in experimental kidney failure due to its action to increase cardiac angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity. This study investigated if the addition of an ACE inhibitor (ACEi) to Ang 1-7 infusion would unmask any beneficial effects of Ang 1-7 on the heart in experimental kidney failure. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent subtotal nephrectomy (STNx) and were treated with vehicle, the ACEi ramipril (oral 1mg/kg/day), Ang 1-7 (subcutaneous 24 μg/kg/h) or dual therapy (all groups, n = 12). A control group (n = 10) of sham-operated rats were also studied. STNx led to hypertension, renal impairment, cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, and increased both left ventricular ACE2 activity and ACE binding. STNx was not associated with changes in plasma levels of ACE, ACE2 or angiotensin peptides. Ramipril reduced blood pressure, improved cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and inhibited cardiac ACE. Ang 1-7 infusion increased blood pressure, cardiac interstitial fibrosis and cardiac ACE binding compared to untreated STNx rats. Although in STNx rats, the addition of ACEi to Ang 1-7 prevented any deleterious cardiac effects of Ang 1-7, a limitation of the study is that the large increase in plasma Ang 1-7 with ramipril may have masked any effect of infused Ang 1-7.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Heart; Hypertension; Male; Myocardium; Nephrectomy; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Ramipril; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renal Insufficiency

Thyroid hormone (TH) promotes marked effects on the cardiovascular system, including the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Some studies have demonstrated that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a key mediator of the cardiac growth in response to elevated TH levels. Although some of the main RAS components are changed in cardiac tissue on hyperthyroid state, the potential modulation of the counter regulatory components of the RAS, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2), angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7) levels and Mas receptor induced by hyperthyroidism is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hyperthyroidism on cardiac Ang 1-7, ACE2 and Mas receptor levels.. Hyperthyroidism was induced in Wistar rats by daily intraperitoneal injections of T4 for 14 days.. Although plasma Ang 1-7 levels were unchanged by hyperthyroidism, cardiac Ang 1-7 levels were increased in TH-induced cardiac hypertrophy. ACE2 enzymatic activity was significantly increased in hearts from hyperthyroid animals, which may be contributing to the higher Ang 1-7 levels observed in the T4 group. Furthermore, elevated cardiac levels of Ang 1-7 levels were accompanied by increased Mas receptor protein levels.. The counter-regulatory components of the RAS are activated in hyperthyroidism and may be contributing to modulate the cardiac hypertrophy in response to TH.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Hyperthyroidism; Male; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Renin-Angiotensin System

Angiotensin-(1-7) improves cardiac function and remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). This may involve recruitment of hematopoietic progenitor cells that support angiogenesis. However, angiotensin-(1-7) is rapidly metabolized in plasma and tissue. The authors investigated in mice the effect of a metabolically stable angiotensin-(1-7) analogue, cyclic angiotensin-(1-7), on progenitor cell recruitment and on the heart post MI, when given in the angiogenesis phase of remodeling.. Angiogenic progenitor cell recruitment was measured by using flow cytometry 24 and 72 hours after a daily bolus injection of cyclic angiotensin-(1-7) in healthy C57BL/6 mice. Further, mice underwent MI or sham surgery and subsequently received saline or 2 different doses of cyclic angiotensin-(1-7) for 3 or 9 weeks. Cyclic angiotensin-(1-7) increased circulating hematopoietic progenitor cells at 24 hours but not 72 hours. Post MI, cyclic angiotensin-(1-7) diminished cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and reduced myogenic tone, without altering cardiovascular function or cardiac histology at 9 weeks. Importantly, cyclic angiotensin-(1-7)-treated mice had reduced cardiac capillary density at 3 weeks after MI but not after 9 weeks. Finally, cyclic angiotensin-(1-7) decreased tube formation by cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.. Our results suggest that cyclic angiotensin-(1-7), when given early after MI, recruits progenitor cells but does not lead to improved angiogenesis, most likely because it simultaneously exerts antiangiogenic effect in adult endothelial cells. Apparently, optimal treatment with cyclic angiotensin-(1-7) depends on the time point of onset of application after MI.

Topics: Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; Angiotensin I; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Endothelial Cells; Flow Cytometry; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myocardial Infarction; Myocytes, Cardiac; Peptide Fragments; Stem Cells; Time Factors; Vasodilator Agents

We recently found that overexpression of angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme 2, which metabolizes Ang-II to Ang-(1-7) and Ang-I to Ang-(1-9), may improve left ventricular remodeling in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Here we aimed to test whether chronic infusion of Ang-(1-7) can dose-dependently ameliorate left ventricular remodeling and function in a rat model of diabetic cardiomyopathy and whether the combination of Ang-(1-7) and Ang-converting enzyme inhibition may be superior to single therapy. Our results showed that Ang-(1-7) treatment dose-dependently ameliorated left ventricular remodeling and dysfunction in diabetic rats by attenuating myocardial fibrosis, myocardial hypertrophy and myocyte apoptosis via both the Mas receptor and angiotensin II type 2 receptor. Furthermore, combining Ang-(1-7) with perindopril provided additional cardioprotection relative to single therapy. Ang-(1-7) administration provides a novel and promising approach for treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Apoptosis; Blood Glucose; Cardiomegaly; Cell Communication; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; Collagen; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Therapy, Combination; Echocardiography; Fibroblasts; Fibrosis; Heart Ventricles; Hemodynamics; Male; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Oxidative Stress; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Perindopril; Phosphorylation; Rats; Receptors, Angiotensin; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

The possible counteracting effect of angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme (ACE)2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis against the ACE/Ang II/Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor axis in blood pressure control has been previously described. We examined the possibility that this pathway might be involved in the anti-hypertensive effect of a newly developed AT1 receptor blocker (ARB), azilsartan, and compared azilsartan's effects with those of another ARB, olmesartan. Transgenic mice carrying the human renin and angiotensinogen genes (hRN/hANG-Tg) were given azilsartan or olmesartan. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as determined by radiotelemetry, were significantly higher in hRN/hANG-Tg mice than in wild-type (WT) mice. Treatment with azilsartan or olmesartan (1 or 5 mg kg(-1) per day) significantly decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and the blood pressure-lowering effect of azilsartan was more marked than that of olmesartan. The urinary Na concentration decreased in an age-dependent manner in hRN/hANG-Tg mice. Administration of azilsartan or olmesartan increased urinary Na concentration, and this effect was weaker with olmesartan than with azilsartan. Azilsartan decreased ENaC-α mRNA expression in the kidney and decreased the ratio of heart to body weight. Olmesartan had a similar but less-marked effect. ACE2 mRNA expression was lower in the kidneys and hearts of hRN/hANG-Tg mice than in WT mice. This decrease in ACE2 mRNA expression was attenuated by azilsartan, but not by olmesartan. These results suggest that the hypotensive and anti-hypertrophic effects of azilsartan may involve activation of the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis with AT1 receptor blockade.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Benzimidazoles; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Epithelial Sodium Channels; Imidazoles; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Oxadiazoles; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Sodium; Tetrazoles

The aim of the present study was to investigate the coronary effects of Ang-(1-7) [angiotensin-(1-7)] in hypertrophic rat hearts. Heart hypertrophy was induced by abdominal aorta CoA (coarctation). Ang-(1-7) and AVE 0991, a non-peptide Mas-receptor agonist, at picomolar concentration, induced a significant vasodilation in hearts from sham-operated rats. These effects were blocked by the Mas receptor antagonist A-779. Pre-treatment with L-NAME (N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) or ODQ (1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinozalin-1-one) [NOS (NO synthase) and soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitors respectively] also abolished the effect of Ang-(1-7) in control hearts. The coronary vasodilation produced by Ang-(1-7) and AVE 0991 was completely blunted in hypertrophic hearts. Chronic oral administration of losartan in CoA rats restored the coronary vasodilation effect of Ang-(1-7). This effect was blocked by A-779 and AT2 receptor (angiotensin II type 2 receptor) antagonist PD123319. Acute pre-incubation with losartan also restored the Ang-(1-7)-induced, but not BK (bradykinin)-induced, coronary vasodilation in hypertrophic hearts. This effect was inhibited by A-779, PD123319 and L-NAME. Chronic treatment with losartan did not change the protein expression of Mas and AT2 receptor and ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) and ACE2 in coronary arteries from CoA rats, but induced a slight increase in AT2 receptor in aorta of these animals. Ang-(1-7)-induced relaxation in aortas from sham-operated rats was absent in aortas from CoA rats. In vitro pre-treatment with losartan restored the Ang-(1-7)-induced relaxation in aortic rings of CoA rats, which was blocked by the Mas antagonist A-779 and L-NAME. These data demonstrate that Mas is strongly involved in coronary vasodilation and that AT1 receptor (angiotensin II type 1 receptor) blockade potentiates the vasodilatory effects of Ang-(1-7) in the coronary beds of pressure-overloaded rat hearts through NO-related AT2- and Mas-receptor-dependent mechanisms. These data suggest the association of Ang-(1-7) and AT1 receptor antagonists as a potential therapeutic avenue for coronary artery diseases.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Imidazoles; In Vitro Techniques; Losartan; Male; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Peptide Fragments; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Pyridines; Rats; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Vasodilation

Thyroid hormone induces cardiac hypertrophy and preconditions the myocardium against Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) injury. Type 2 Angiotensin II receptors (AT2R) are shown to be upregulated in cardiac hypertrophy observed in hyperthyroidism and this receptor has been reported to mediate cardioprotection against ischemic injury.. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of AT2R in the recovery of myocardium after I/R in isolated hearts from T3 treated rats. Male Wistar rats were treated with triiodothyronine (T3; 7 μg/100 g BW/day, i.p.) in the presence or not of a specific AT2R blocker (PD123,319; 10 mg/Kg) for 14 days, while normal rats served as control. After treatment, isolated hearts were perfused in Langendorff mode; after 30 min of stabilization, hearts were subjected to 20 min of zero-flow global ischemia followed by 25 min, 35 min and 45 min of reperfusion.. T3 treatment induced cardiac hypertrophy, which was not changed by PD treatment. Post-ischemic recovery of cardiac function was increased in T3-treated hearts after 35 min and 45 min of reperfusion as compared to control and the ischemic contracture was accelerated and intensified. AT2R blockade was able to return the evaluated functional parameters of cardiac performance (LVDP, +dP/dt(máx) and -dP/dt(min)) to the control condition. Furthermore, AT2R blockade prevented the increase in AMPK expression levels induced by T3, suggesting its possible involvement in this process.. AT2R plays a significant role in T3-induced cardioprotection.

Topics: AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Blockers; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Hyperthyroidism; Imidazoles; Male; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury; Myocardium; Pyridines; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine; Ventricular Pressure

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a monocarboxypeptidase which metabolizes angiotensin II (Ang II) to generate Ang-(1-7), has been shown to prevent cardiac hypertrophy and injury but the mechanism remains elusive. Irbesartan has the dual actions of angiotensin receptor blockade and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) activation. We hypothesized that irbesartan would exert its protective effects on ACE2 deficiency-mediated myocardial fibrosis and cardiac injury via the PPARγ signaling.. 10-week-old ACE2 knockout (ACE2KO; Ace2(-/y)) mice received daily with irbesartan (50 mg/kg) or saline for 2 weeks. The wild-type mice (Ace2(+/y)) were used to the normal controls. We examined changes in myocardial ultrastructure, fibrosis-related genes and pathological signaling by real-time PCR gene array, Western blotting, Masson trichrome staining and transmission electron microscope analyses, respectively.. Compared with the Ace2(+/y) mice, cardiac expression of PPARα and PPARγ were reduced in Ace2(-/y) mice and the myocardial collagen volume fraction (CVF) and expression of fibrosis-related genes were increased, including transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), collagen I and collagen III. Moreover, ACE2 deficiency triggered cardiac hypertrophy, increased myocardial fibrosis and adverse ultrastructure injury in ACE2KO hearts with higher levels of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), without affecting cardiac systolic function. Intriguingly, treatment with irbesartan significantly reversed ACE2 deficiency-mediated pathological hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis in Ace2(-/y) mice linked with enhancement of plasma Ang-(1-7) level and downregulation of AT1 receptor in heart. Consistent with attenuation of myocardial fibrosis and ultrastructure injury, the myocardial CVF and levels of ANF, TGFβ1, CTGF, collagen I, collagen III and phosphorylated ERK1/2 were lower, and expression of PPARγ was higher in ACE2KO mice in response to irbesartan treatment, without affecting cardiac expression of PPARα, PPARδ, β-myosin heavy chain, TGFβ2 and fibronectin.. We conclude that irbesartan prevents ACE2 deficiency-mediated pathological hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis in ACE2 mutant mice via activation of the PPARγ signaling and suppression of the TGFβ-CTGF-ERK signaling, resulting in attenuation of myocardial injury. Drugs targeting ACE2 and PPARγ represent potential candidates to prevent and treat myocardial injury and related cardiac disorders.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Biphenyl Compounds; Cardiomegaly; Cardiotonic Agents; Collagen; Connective Tissue Growth Factor; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Fibrosis; Gene Expression Regulation; Irbesartan; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Phosphorylation; PPAR alpha; PPAR delta; PPAR gamma; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Tetrazoles; Transforming Growth Factor beta

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-infused rats were treated with ANG-(1-7) to determine whether the heptapeptide reduces myocyte hypertrophy in vivo and to identify the signaling pathways involved in the process. ANG II infusion into normotensive rats elevated systolic blood pressure >50 mmHg, in association with increased myocyte cross-sectional area, ventricular atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA, and ventricular brain natriuretric peptide mRNA. Although infusion with ANG-(1-7) had no effect on the ANG II-stimulated elevation in blood pressure, the heptapeptide hormone significantly reduced the ANG II-mediated increase in myocyte cross-sectional area, interstitial fibrosis, and natriuretic peptide mRNAs. ANG II increased phospho-ERK1 and phospho-ERK2, whereas cotreatment with ANG-(1-7) reduced the phosphorylation of both MAPKs. Neither ANG II nor ANG-(1-7) altered the ERK1/2 MAPK kinase MEK1/2. However, ANG-(1-7) infusion, with or without ANG II, increased the MAPK phosphatase dual-specificity phosphatase (DUSP)-1; in contrast, treatment with ANG II had no effect on DUSP-1, suggesting that ANG-(1-7) upregulates DUSP-1 to reduce ANG II-stimulated ERK activation. These results indicate that ANG-(1-7) attenuates cardiac remodeling associated with a chronic elevation in blood pressure and upregulation of a MAPK phosphatase and may be cardioprotective in patients with hypertension.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Cardiomegaly; Drug Interactions; Dual Specificity Phosphatase 1; Fibrosis; Hypertension; Male; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Up-Regulation; Vasoconstrictor Agents; Ventricular Remodeling

The Mas protooncogene encodes a G protein-coupled receptor that has been described as a functional receptor for the cardioprotective fragment of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), Angiotensin (Ang)-(1-7). The aim of this current study was to evaluate the responsiveness of Mas expression in hearts during different physiological and pathological conditions in rats. Physical training was considered a physiological condition, while isoproterenol-induced hypertrophy, myocardial infarction and DOCA-salt model of hypertension were used as pathological models of heart injury. The expression of Mas was analyzed by western blotting. Although swim-trained rats presented significant cardiac hypertrophy, our physical training protocol was unable to induce changes in the expression of Mas. On the other hand, cardiac hypertrophy and damage elicited by isoproterenol treatment led to a reduction in Mas expression. Myocardial infarction also significantly decreased the expression of Mas after 21 days of myocardial ischemia. Additionally, Mas expression levels were increased in hearts of DOCA-salt rats. Our present data indicate that Mas expression is responsive to different pathological stimuli, thereby suggesting that Mas receptor is involved in the homeostasis of the heart, as well as in the establishment and progression of cardiac diseases.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Desoxycorticosterone; Hypertension; Isoproterenol; Male; Motor Activity; Myocardial Infarction; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled

The counter-regulatory axis of the renin angiotensin system peptide angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in cardiac remodelling, acting via the mas receptor. Furthermore, we recently reported that an alternative peptide, Ang-(1-9) also counteracts cardiac remodelling via the angiotensin type 2 receptor (AT(2)R). Here, we have engineered adenoviral vectors expressing fusion proteins which release Ang-(1-7) [RAdAng-(1-7)] or Ang-(1-9) [RAdAng-(1-9)] and compared their effects on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes or primary adult rabbit cardiomyocytes, stimulated with angiotensin II, isoproterenol or arg-vasopressin. RAdAng-(1-7) and RAdAng-(1-9) efficiently transduced cardiomyocytes, expressed fusion proteins and secreted peptides, as demonstrated by western immunoblotting and conditioned media assays. Furthermore, secreted Ang-(1-7) and Ang-(1-9) inhibited cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (Control = 168.7±8.4 µm; AngII = 232.1±10.7 µm; AngII+RAdAng-(1-7) = 186±9.1 µm, RAdAng-(1-9) = 180.5±9 µm; P<0.05) and these effects were selectively reversed by inhibitors of their cognate receptors, the mas antagonist A779 for RAdAng-(1-7) and the AT(2)R antagonist PD123,319 for RAdAng-(1-9). Thus gene transfer of Ang-(1-7) and Ang-(1-9) produces receptor-specific effects equivalent to those observed with addition of exogenous peptides. These data highlight that Ang-(1-7) and Ang-(1-9) can be expressed via gene transfer and inhibit cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via their respective receptors. This supports applications for this approach for sustained peptide delivery to study molecular effects and potential gene therapeutic actions.

Topics: Adenoviridae; Angiotensin I; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Cell Line; Genetic Therapy; Genetic Vectors; Humans; Myocytes, Cardiac; Peptide Fragments; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Rabbits; Rats; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Transduction, Genetic

ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) 2 is expressed in the heart and kidney and metabolizes Ang (angiotensin) II to Ang-(1-7) a peptide that acts via the Ang-(1-7) or mas receptor. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of Ang-(1-7) on blood pressure and cardiac remodelling in a rat model of renal mass ablation. Male SD (Sprague-Dawley) rats underwent STNx (subtotal nephrectomy) and were treated for 10 days with vehicle, the ACE inhibitor ramipril (oral 1 mg·kg(-1) of body weight·day(-1)) or Ang-(1-7) (subcutaneous 24 μg·kg(-1) of body weight·h(-1)) (all n = 15 per group). A control group (n = 10) of sham-operated rats were also studied. STNx rats were hypertensive (P<0.01) with renal impairment (P<0.001), cardiac hypertrophy (P<0.001) and fibrosis (P<0.05), and increased cardiac ACE (P<0.001) and ACE2 activity (P<0.05). Ramipril reduced blood pressure (P<0.01), improved cardiac hypertrophy (P<0.001) and inhibited cardiac ACE (P<0.001). By contrast, Ang-(1-7) infusion in STNx was associated with further increases in blood pressure (P<0.05), cardiac hypertrophy (P<0.05) and fibrosis (P<0.01). Ang-(1-7) infusion also increased cardiac ACE activity (P<0.001) and reduced cardiac ACE2 activity (P<0.05) compared with STNx-vehicle rats. Our results add to the increasing evidence that Ang-(1-7) may have deleterious cardiovascular effects in kidney failure and highlight the need for further in vivo studies of the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/mas receptor axis in kidney disease.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Hypertension; Male; Nephrectomy; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Ramipril; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renal Insufficiency

In this study we evaluated the cardiac effects of a pharmaceutical formulation developed by including angiotensin (Ang)-(1-7) in hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD), in normal, infarcted, and isoproterenol-treated rats. Myocardial infarction was produced by left coronary artery occlusion. Isoproterenol (2 mg/kg, IP) was administered daily for 7 days. Oral administration of HPβCD/Ang-(1-7) started immediately before infarction or associated with the first dose of isoproterenol. After 7 days of treatment, the rats were euthanized, and the Langendorff technique was used to analyze cardiac function. In addition, heart function was chronically (15, 30, 50 days) analyzed by echocardiography. Cardiac sections were stained with hematoxylin/eosin and Masson trichrome to evaluate cardiac hypertrophy and damage, respectively. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that oral HPβCD/Ang-(1-7) administration significantly increased Ang-(1-7) on plasma whereas with the free peptide it was without effect. Oral administration of HPβCD/Ang-(1-7) (30 μg/kg) significantly reduced the deleterious effects induced by myocardial infarction on systolic and diastolic tension, ±dT/dt, perfusion pressure, and heart rate. Strikingly, a 50% reduction of the infarcted area was observed in HPβCD/Ang-(1-7)-treated rats. Furthermore, HPβCD/Ang-(1-7) attenuated the heart function impairment and cardiac remodeling induced by isoproterenol. In infarcted rats chronically treated with HPβCD/Ang-(1-7), the reduction of ejection fraction and fractional shorting and the increase in systolic and diastolic left ventricular volumes observed in infarcted rats were attenuated. Altogether, these findings further confirm the cardioprotective effects of Ang-(1-7). More importantly, our data indicate that the HPβCD/Ang-(1-7) is a feasible formulation for oral administration of Ang-(1-7), which can be used as a cardioprotective drug.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Analysis of Variance; Angiotensin I; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Cardiotonic Agents; Echocardiography; Heart; Heart Rate; Isoproterenol; Male; Myocardial Infarction; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Wistar

The renin-angiotensin (Ang) system plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, with Ang II being the major effector of this system. Multiple lines of evidence have shown that Ang-(1-7) exerts cardioprotective effects in the heart by counterregulating Ang II actions. The questions that remain are how and where Ang-(1-7) exerts its effects. By using a combination of molecular biology, confocal microscopy, and a transgenic rat model with increased levels of circulating Ang-(1-7) (TGR[A1-7]3292), we evaluated the signaling pathways involved in Ang-(1-7) cardioprotection against Ang II-induced pathological remodeling in ventricular cardiomyocytes. Rats were infused with Ang II for 2 weeks. We found that ventricular myocytes from TGR(A1-7)3292 rats are protected from Ang II pathological remodeling characterized by Ca(2+) signaling dysfunction, hypertrophic fetal gene expression, glycogen synthase kinase 3beta inactivation, and nuclear factor of activated T-cells nuclear accumulation. Moreover, cardiomyocytes from TGR(A1-7)3292 rats infused with Ang II presented increased expression levels of neuronal NO synthase. To provide a signaling pathway involved in the beneficial effects of Ang-(1-7), we treated neonatal cardiomyocytes with Ang-(1-7) and Ang II for 36 hours. Treatment of cardiomyocytes with Ang-(1-7) prevented Ang II-induced hypertrophy by modulating calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T-cell signaling cascade. Importantly, antihypertrophic effects of Ang-(1-7) on Ang II-treated cardiomyocytes were prevented by N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and 1H-1,2,4oxadiazolo4,2-aquinoxalin-1-one, suggesting that these effects are mediated by NO/cGMP. Taken together, these data reveal a key role for NO/cGMP as a mediator of Ang-(1-7) beneficial effects in cardiac cells.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Blood Pressure; Calcium; Cardiomegaly; Cell Size; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Hypertension; Microscopy, Confocal; Myocytes, Cardiac; NFATC Transcription Factors; Nitric Oxide; Peptide Fragments; Protein Transport; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats, Transgenic; Signal Transduction

Emerging evidence suggests that cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may contribute to the regulation of heart function and hypertension-induced cardiac remodeling. We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of ACE2 in the hearts of (mRen2)27 hypertensive rats may accelerate progression of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis by preventing conversion of angiotensin II (Ang II) into the antifibrotic peptide, angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)).. Fourteen male (mRen2)27 transgenic hypertensive rats (12 weeks old, 401 + or - 7 g) were administered either vehicle (0.9% saline) or the ACE2 inhibitor, MLN-4760 (30 mg/kg/day), subcutaneously via mini-osmotic pumps for 28 days.. Although ACE2 inhibition had no effect on average 24-h blood pressures, left ventricular (LV) Ang II content increased 24% in rats chronically treated with the ACE2 inhibitor (P < 0.05). Chronic ACE2 inhibition had no effect on plasma Ang II or Ang-(1-7) levels. Increased cardiac Ang II levels were associated with significant increases in both LV anterior, posterior, and relative wall thicknesses, as well as interstitial collagen fraction area and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in the transgenic animals chronically treated with the ACE2 inhibitor. Cardiac remodeling was not accompanied by any further alterations in LV function.. These studies demonstrate that chronic inhibition of ACE2 causes an accumulation of cardiac Ang II, which exacerbates cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis without having any further impact on blood pressure or cardiac function.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Fibrosis; Heart Ventricles; Imidazoles; Leucine; Male; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Rats, Transgenic

Angiotensin-(1-9) is present in human and rat plasma and its circulating levels increased early after myocardial infarction or in animals treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. However, the cardiovascular effects of this peptide are unknown.. To determine whether angiotensin-(1-9) is a novel anti-cardiac hypertrophy factor in vitro and in vivo and whether this peptide is involved in the pharmacological effects of cardiovascular drugs acting on the renin-angiotensin system.. The administration of angiotensin-(1-9) to myocardial infarcted rats by osmotic minipumps (450 ng/kg per min, n = 6) vs. vehicle (n = 8) for 2 weeks decreased plasma angiotensin II levels, inhibited angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and also prevented cardiac myocyte hypertrophy. However, cardiac myocyte hypertrophy attenuation triggered by angiotensin-(1-9) was not modified with the simultaneous administration of the angiotensin-(1-7) receptor antagonist A779 (100 ng/kg per min, n = 6). In experiments in vitro with cultured cardiac myocytes incubated with norepinephrine (10 micromol/l) or with insulin-like growth factor-1 (10 nmol/l), angiotensin-(1-9) also prevented hypertrophy. In other experimental setting, myocardial infarcted rats (n = 37) were randomized to receive either vehicle (n = 12), enalapril (10 mg/kg per day, n = 12) or angiotensin II receptor blocker candesartan (10 mg/kg per day, n = 13) for 8 weeks. Both drugs prevented left ventricle hypertrophy and increased plasma angiotensin-(1-9) levels by several folds. Angiotensin-(1-9) levels correlated negatively with different left ventricular hypertrophy markers even after adjustment for blood pressure reduction.. Angiotensin-(1-9) is an effective and a novel anti-cardiac hypertrophy agent not acting via the Mas receptor.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Benzimidazoles; Biphenyl Compounds; Bradykinin; Cardiomegaly; Cell Enlargement; Cells, Cultured; Enalapril; Humans; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; In Vitro Techniques; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Male; Myocardial Infarction; Myocytes, Cardiac; Norepinephrine; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renin-Angiotensin System; Tetrazoles; Ventricular Function, Left

Angiotensin-(1-7) displays antihypertensive and antiproliferative properties although its effect on cardiac remodeling and hypertrophy in hypertension has not been fully elucidated. The present study was designed to examine the effect of chronic angiotensin-(1-7) treatment on myocardial remodeling, cardiac hypertrophy and underlying mechanisms in spontaneous hypertension. Adult male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were treated with or without angiotensin-(1-7) or the angiotensin-(1-7) antagonist A-779 for 24 weeks. Mean arterial pressure, left ventricular geometry, expression of the hypertrophic markers ANP and β-MHC, collagen contents (type I and III), collagenase (MMP-1), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of MMPs-1 (TIMP-1) were evaluated in WKY and SHR rats with or without treatment. Our data revealed that chronic angiotensin-(1-7) treatment significantly suppressed hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, expression of ANP and β-MHC as well as myocardial fibrosis in SHR rats, the effects of which were nullified by the angiotensin-(1-7) receptor antagonist A-779. In addition, angiotensin-(1-7) treatment significantly counteracted hypertension-induced changes in the mRNA expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 and collagenase activity, the effects of which were blunted by A-779. In vitro study revealed that angiotensin-(1-7) directly increased the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 while decreasing the content of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2. Taken together, our results revealed a protective effect of angiotensin-(1-7) against cardiac hypertrophy and collagen deposition, which may be related to concerted changes in MMPs and TIMPs levels. These data indicated the therapeutic potential of angiotensin-(1-7) in spontaneous hypertension-induced cardiac remodeling.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Collagen; Collagenases; Fibrosis; Hypertension; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Myocardium; Myosin Heavy Chains; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases

Recent studies have shown that the heptapeptide angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] exerts important vasoactive actions and can act as an endogenous physiological antagonist of angiotensin II (Ang II) within the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The present study was performed to evaluate the effects, first, of chronic increases of Ang-(1-7) levels, second, of [7-D-Ala], an Ang-(1-7) receptor antagonist, and, third, of an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) inhibitor on the course of hypertension and of renal function of the nonclipped kidney in two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) Goldblatt hypertensive rats.. Blood pressure (BP) was monitored by radiotelemetry. Elevation of the effect of circulating Ang-(1-7) levels was achieved either by chronic subcutaneous infusion of Ang-(1-7) through osmotic minipumps or by employing transgenic rats that express an Ang-(1-7)-producing fusion protein [Ang-(1-7)TGR+/+] (and its control Ang-(1-7)TGR-/-). [7-D-Ala] was also infused subcutaneously and the ACE2 inhibitor was administrated in drinking water. On day 25 after clipping, rats were anesthetized and renal function was evaluated.. Chronic infusion of Ang-(1-7) did not modify the course of 2K1C hypertension and did not alter renal function as compared with saline vehicle-infused 2K1C rats. Chronic infusion of [7-D-Ala] or treatment with the ACE2 inhibitor worsened the course of hypertension and elicited decreases in renal hemodynamics. [Ang-(1-7)TGR+/+] and [Ang-(1-7)TGR-/-] rats exhibited a similar course of hypertension.. The present data support the notion that Ang-(1-7) serves as an important endogenous vasodilator and natriuretic agent and its deficiency might contribute to the acceleration of 2K1C Goldblatt hypertension.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Progression; Hypertension, Renovascular; Infusion Pumps, Implantable; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Transgenic; Surgical Instruments; Telemetry; Vasodilator Agents

Rat models of hypertension, eg, spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats (SHRSP), display reduced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) mRNA and protein expression compared with control animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ACE2 in the pathogenesis of hypertension in these models. Therefore, we generated transgenic rats on a SHRSP genetic background expressing the human ACE2 in vascular smooth muscle cells by the use of the SM22 promoter, called SHRSP-ACE2. In these transgenic rats vascular smooth muscle expression of human ACE2 was confirmed by RNase protection, real-time RT-PCR, and ACE2 activity assays. Transgene expression leads to significantly increased circulating levels of angiotensin-(1-7), a prominent product of ACE2. Mean arterial blood pressure was reduced in SHRSP-ACE2 compared to SHRSP rats, and the vasoconstrictive response to intraarterial administration of angiotensin II was attenuated. The latter effect was abolished by previous administration of an ACE2 inhibitor. To evaluate the endothelial function in vivo, endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent agents such as acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside, respectively, were applied to the descending thoracic aorta and blood pressure was monitored. Endothelial function turned out to be significantly improved in SHRSP-ACE2 rats compared to SHRSP. These data demonstrate that vascular ACE2 overexpression in SHRSP reduces hypertension probably by locally degrading angiotensin II and improving endothelial function. Thus, activation of the ACE2/angiotensin-(1-7) axis may be a novel therapeutic strategy in hypertension.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Endothelium, Vascular; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Humans; Hypertension; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Nitroprusside; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Vasodilator Agents

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) converts the vasopressor angiotensin II (Ang II) into angiotensin (1-7) [Ang(1-7)], a peptide reported to have vasodilatory and cardioprotective properties. Inactivation of the ACE2 gene in mice has been reported by one group to result in an accumulation of Ang II in the heart and an age-related defect in cardiac contractility. A second study confirmed the role of ACE2 as an Ang II clearance enzyme but failed to reproduce the contractility defects previously reported in ACE2-deficient mice. The reasons for these differences are unclear but could include differences in the accumulation of Ang II or the deficiencies in Ang(1-7) in the mouse models used. As a result, the roles of ACE2, Ang II, and Ang(1-7) in the heart remain controversial. Using a novel strategy, we targeted the chronic overproduction of either Ang II or Ang(1-7) in the heart of transgenic mice and tested their effect on age-related contractility and on cardiac remodeling in response to a hypertensive challenge. We demonstrate that a chronic accumulation of Ang II in the heart does not result in cardiac contractility defects, even in older (8-month-old) mice. Likewise, transgenic animals with an 8-fold increase in Ang(1-7) peptide in the heart exhibited no differences in resting blood pressure or cardiac contractility as compared to age-matched controls, but they had significantly less ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis than their nontransgenic littermates in response to a hypertensive challenge. Analysis of downstream signaling cascades demonstrates that cardiac Ang(1-7) selectively modulates some of the downstream signaling effectors of cardiac remodeling. These results suggest that Ang(1-7) can reduce hypertension-induced cardiac remodeling through a direct effect on the heart and raise the possibility that pathologies associated with ACE2 inactivation are mediated in part by a decrease in production of Ang(1-7).

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Crosses, Genetic; Heart; Hypertension; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Transgenic; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Renin-Angiotensin System; Ventricular Remodeling

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Female; Heart; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Models, Animal; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Renin-Angiotensin System

In the heart, angiotensin II has been suggested to regulate cardiac remodeling and promote cardiac hypertrophy. To examine this, we studied compound heterozygous mice, called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 1/8, in which one ACE allele is null, whereas the other ACE allele (the 8 allele) targets expression to the heart. In this model, cardiac ACE levels are about 15 times those of wild-type mice, and ACE expression is reduced or eliminated in other tissues. ACE 1/8 mice have 58% the cardiac ACE of a previous model, called ACE 8/8, but both ACE 1/8 and ACE 8/8 mice have ventricular angiotensin II levels about twofold those of wild-type controls. Despite equivalent levels of cardiac angiotensin II, ACE 1/8 mice do not develop the marked atrial enlargement or the conduction defects previously reported in the ACE 8/8 mice. Six-month-old ACE 1/8 mice have normal cardiac function, as determined by echocardiography and left ventricular catheterization, despite the elevated levels of angiotensin II. ACE 1/8 mice also have normal levels of connexin 43. Both wild-type and ACE 1/8 mice develop similar degrees of cardiac hypertrophy after aortic banding. These data suggest that a moderate increase of local angiotensin II production in the heart does not produce cardiac dysfunction, at least under basal conditions, and that, in response to aortic banding, cardiac hypertrophy is not augmented by a twofold increase of cardiac angiotensin II.

Topics: Alleles; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensinogen; Animals; Aorta, Abdominal; Blood Pressure; Blotting, Western; Cardiac Catheterization; Cardiomegaly; Connexin 43; DNA; Electrocardiography; Heart; Kidney; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Transgenic; Myocardium; Osmolar Concentration; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Tissue Distribution; Ventricular Function, Left

In the present study we investigated the effects of physical training on plasma and cardiac angiotensin(1-7) [Ang(1-7)] levels. In addition, possible changes in expression of the Ang(1-7) Mas receptor in the heart were also evaluated. Normotensive Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were subjected to an 8 week period of 5% overload swimming training. Blood pressure was determined by a tail-cuff system. Heart and left ventricle weights and cardiomyocyte diameter were analysed to evaluate cardiac hypertrophy. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure angiotensin levels. Expression of Mas was determined by semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Physical training induced cardiac hypertrophy in Wistar rats and SHR. A significant decrease of plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) levels in both strains was also observed. Strikingly, trained SHR, but not trained Wistar rats, showed a twofold increase in left ventricular Ang(1-7) levels. No significant changes were observed in plasma Ang(1-7) and left ventricular Ang II concentrations in either strain. Furthermore, Mas mRNA and protein expression in left ventricle were substantially increased in trained SHR. The physical training protocol used did not change blood pressure in either strain. These results suggest that the beneficial effects induced by swimming training in hypertensive rats might include an augmentation of Ang(1-7) and its receptor in the heart.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Blood Pressure; Blotting, Western; Cardiomegaly; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Angiotensin; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Swimming

Cardiac remodeling, which typically results from chronic hypertension or following an acute myocardial infarction, is a major risk factor for the development of heart failure and, ultimately, death. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has previously been established to play an important role in the progression of cardiac remodeling, and inhibition of a hyperactive RAS provides protection from cardiac remodeling and subsequent heart failure. Our previous studies have demonstrated that overexpression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) prevents cardiac remodeling and hypertrophy during chronic infusion of angiotensin II (ANG II). This, coupled with the knowledge that ACE2 is a key enzyme in the formation of ANG-(1-7), led us to hypothesize that chronic infusion of ANG-(1-7) would prevent cardiac remodeling induced by chronic infusion of ANG II. Infusion of ANG II into adult Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in significantly increased blood pressure, myocyte hypertrophy, and midmyocardial interstitial fibrosis. Coinfusion of ANG-(1-7) resulted in significant attenuations of myocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis, without significant effects on blood pressure. In a subgroup of animals also administered [d-Ala(7)]-ANG-(1-7) (A779), an antagonist to the reported receptor for ANG-(1-7), there was a tendency to attenuate the antiremodeling effects of ANG-(1-7). Chronic infusion of ANG II, with or without coinfusion of ANG-(1-7), had no effect on ANG II type 1 or type 2 receptor binding in cardiac tissue. Together, these findings indicate an antiremodeling role for ANG-(1-7) in cardiac tissue, which is not mediated through modulation of blood pressure or altered cardiac angiotensin receptor populations and may be at least partially mediated through an ANG-(1-7) receptor.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Fibrosis; Heart; Hypertension; Male; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Proto-Oncogene Mas; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; Time Factors; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Ventricular Remodeling

Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) converts angiotensin II (ANG II) to angiotensin-(1-7) [ANG-(1-7)], and this enzyme may serve as a key regulatory juncture in various tissues. Although the heart expresses ACE2, the extent that the enzyme participates in the cardiac processing of ANG II and ANG-(1-7) is equivocal. Therefore, we utilized the Langendorff preparation to characterize the ACE2 pathway in isolated hearts from male normotensive Sprague-Dawley [Tg((-))] and hypertensive [mRen2]27 [Tg((+))] rats. During a 60-min recirculation period with 10 nM ANG II, the presence of ANG-(1-7) was assessed in the cardiac effluent. ANG-(1-7) generation from ANG II was similar in both the normal and hypertensive hearts [Tg((-)): 510 +/- 55 pM, n=20 vs. Tg((+)): 497 +/- 63 pM, n=14] with peak levels occurring at 30 min after administration of the peptide. ACE2 inhibition (MLN-4760, 1 microM) significantly reduced ANG-(1-7) production by 83% (57 +/- 19 pM, P<0.01, n=7) in the Tg((+)) rats, whereas the inhibitor had no significant effect in the Tg((-)) rats (285 +/- 53 pM, P>0.05, n=10). ACE2 activity was found in the effluent of perfused Tg((-)) and Tg((+)) hearts, and it was highly associated with ACE2 protein expression (r=0.78). This study is the first demonstration for a direct role of ACE2 in the metabolism of cardiac ANG II in the hypertrophic heart of hypertensive rats. We conclude that predominant expression of cardiac ACE2 activity in the Tg((+)) may be a compensatory response to the extensive cardiac remodeling in this strain.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Half-Life; Hypertension; Imidazoles; Kinetics; Leucine; Male; Mice; Myocardium; Peptide Fragments; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renin

Cardiac remodeling is a hallmark hypertension-induced pathophysiology. In the current study, the role of the angiotensin-(1-7) fragment in modulating cardiac remodeling was examined. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent uninephrectomy surgery and were implanted with a deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) pellet. DOCA animals had their drinking water replaced with 0.9% saline solution. A subgroup of DOCA-salt animals was implanted with osmotic minipumps, which delivered angiotensin-(1-7) chronically (100 ng.kg(-1).min(-1)). Control animals underwent sham surgery and were maintained on normal drinking water. Blood pressure was measured weekly with the use of the tail-cuff method, and after 4 wk of treatment, blood pressure responses to graded doses of angiotensin II were determined by direct carotid artery cannulation. Ventricle size was measured, and cross sections of the heart ventricles were paraffin embedded and stained using Masson's Trichrome to measure interstitial and perivascular collagen deposition and myocyte diameter. DOCA-salt treatment caused significant increases in blood pressure, cardiac hypertrophy, and myocardial and perivascular fibrosis. Angiotensin-(1-7) infusion prevented the collagen deposition effects without any effect on blood pressure or cardiac hypertrophy. These results indicate that angiotensin-(1-7) selectively prevents cardiac fibrosis independent of blood pressure or cardiac hypertrophy in the DOCA-salt model of hypertension.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Collagen; Coronary Vessels; Desoxycorticosterone; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fibrosis; Heart Diseases; Hypertension; Male; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Ventricular Remodeling

We investigated whether prevention of cardiac and vascular remodeling associated with inhibition of angiotensin II is independent of the blood pressure (BP)-lowering action of angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blockade. Spontaneously hypertensive rats, 8 weeks old, were treated with olmesartan, atenolol, or vehicle in their drinking water for 56 days. At the end of each treatment, arterial pressure and heart rate were measured, the ratio of heart weight to body weight was calculated, collagen deposition in the heart was determined histochemically using picrosirius red staining, and wall-to-lumen ratio in isolated mesenteric arteries was measured by a videographic approach. At 3 weeks after the initiation of treatment, rats medicated with olmesartan showed lower values of systolic BP compared with rats given atenolol or vehicle, whereas no difference in directly measured BP were observed at the end of study in anesthetized rats given olmesartan or atenolol. Rats given atenolol showed sustained bradycardia, whereas cardiac hypertrophy and collagen deposition was prevented only in spontaneously hypertensive rats given olmesartan. Olmesartan or atenolol reduced arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratio (olmesartan: 11.5+/-0.4%; atenolol: 13.3+/-0.6%; vehicle: 18.4%+/-1.1); however, this effect was greatest in rats medicated with the angiotensin II type 1 antagonist. Although control of BP is a factor in the prevention of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy, our studies suggest that blockade of angiotensin II receptors may attenuate the structural changes in the heart and blood vessels of hypertensive animals independent of a reduction in BP.

Topics: Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Atenolol; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Collagen; Disease Progression; Endothelium, Vascular; Heart Rate; Hypertension; Imidazoles; Male; Mesenteric Arteries; Myocardium; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Tetrazoles; Vascular Diseases; Vascular Resistance

The in vitro anti-hypertrophic and hyperplastic actions of des-aspartate-angiotensin I (DAA-I) on cultured cardiovascular cells have been demonstrated in earlier experiments. The present study investigated its effects on the development of neointima in balloon catheter-injured carotid artery of the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat and the development of cardiovascular hypertrophy in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. Treatment with i.v. DAA-I for 14 days post-injury dose-dependently attenuated the development of neointima. The maximum effect was obtained at 34 pmol/kg/day. The data support the possibility that endogenous angiotensins could inhibit neointima growth. This opens up avenues for their therapeutic elevation in combating neointima-related restenosis of which current drugs are not fully effective in suppressing. Five-week-old pre-hypertensive SHR, when orally administered with a dose of 769 nmol/kg/day DAA-I for a duration of 47 weeks, showed significant reduction in the development of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy compared to the untreated controls. Similar treatment with DAA-I had no effect on the Wistar Kyoto rats. The present findings support the contention that, besides angiotensin II, other endogenous angiotensins are also involved in the regulation and/or pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin III; Animals; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Arteriosclerosis; Cardiomegaly; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Hypertension; Injections, Intravenous; Male; Rats; Tunica Intima

Angiotensin-(1-7) [ANG-(1-7)] is a recently described heptapeptide product of the renin-angiotensin system. Because biosynthesis of ANG-(1-7) increases in animals treated with cardioprotective drugs and inactivation of the gene for angiotensin converting enzyme 2 [an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of ANG-(1-7)] leads to the development of cardiac dysfunction, it has been suggested that ANG-(1-7) has cardioprotective properties. To directly test this possibility, we have generated transgenic rats that chronically overproduce ANG-(1-7) by using a novel fusion protein methodology. TGR(A1-7)3292 rats show testicular-specific expression of a cytomegalovirus promoter-driven transgene, resulting in a doubling of circulating ANG-(1-7) compared with nontransgenic control rats. Radiotelemetry hemodynamic measurements showed that transgenic rats presented a small but significant increase in daily and nocturnal heart rate and a slight but significant increase in daily and nocturnal cardiac contractility estimated by dP/d t measurements. Strikingly, TGR(A1-7)3292 rats were significantly more resistant than control animals to induction of cardiac hypertrophy by isoproterenol. In addition, transgenic rats showed a reduced duration of reperfusion arrhythmias and an improved postischemic function in isolated Langendorff heart preparations. These results support a cardioprotective role for circulating ANG-(1-7) and provide a novel tool for evaluating the functional role of ANG-(1-7).

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Cardiomegaly; Cardiotonic Agents; Gene Expression; Heart Rate; Male; Myocardial Contraction; Organ Culture Techniques; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; RNA, Messenger; Testis

Increased cardiac angiotensin converting enzyme-1 (ACE1) is found in individuals who carry a deletion in intron 16 of ACE1 gene or in individuals who suffer from cardiac disorders, such as hypertrophy. However, whether a single increase in ACE1 expression leads to spontaneous cardiac defects remains unknown. To determine if the increased cardiac ACE1 actively plays a role or is merely the consequence of pathological changes in the process of cardiac hypertrophy, we generated a transgenic rat model with selective over-expression of human ACE1 in the cardiac ventricles. The left ventricular ACE1 activity is elevated about 50-fold in transgenic rats. Angiotensin-1 perfusion of isolated hearts demonstrated a significant decrease in coronary artery flow compared with non-transgenic littermates, suggesting that the transgenic ACE1 is functional. Neither cardiac hypertrophy nor other morphological abnormalities were observed in transgenic rats under standard living conditions. It was found, however, after induction of hypertension by suprarenal aortic banding, that the degree of cardiac hypertrophy in transgenic rats was significantly higher than that of banded control rats. The expressions of both ANF and collagen III, molecular markers of cardiac hypertrophy, were also increased in banded transgenic rats compared with banded control. Our results suggest that increased cardiac ACE1 does not trigger but augments cardiac hypertrophy.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Cardiomegaly; Collagen Type III; Humans; Hypertension; In Vitro Techniques; Introns; Male; Myocardium; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats

Angiotensin II (Ang II) mediates its effects through its non-tyrosine-kinase G protein coupled Ang-II type 1 receptor (AT1). Growing evidence indicates that a functional insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) tyrosine kinase receptor is required for Ang-II-induced mitogenesis. Along with Ang II, we have previously shown that changes in IGF-1 receptor binding at myofibers are causative agents for cardiac eccentric hypertrophy. This study investigated the interaction of the renin-angiotensin system with the IGF-1 receptor during the development and regression of cardiac hypertrophy. Alterations in IGF-1 binding were evaluated in the CHAPS-pretreated perfused heart. Four weeks of aortocaval shunt increased relative heart mass by 76% without a major change in body mass or systolic blood pressure. Binding studies showed that IGF-1 has a higher affinity for the cardiac myofibers of shunt than sham rats. Two weeks of treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor captopril (0.5 g/L in drinking water) or the AT1-antagonist losartan (10 mg/(kg x day)) reduced cardiac hypertrophy by 54 and 42%, respectively. However, while both ACE inhibition and AT1-antagonist treatments produced equivalent regression in ventricular hypertrophy, captopril was more efficacious than losartan in the regression of atrial hypertrophy. Regression of cardiac hypertrophy in the shunt by either captopril or losartan was accompanied with a reduction or normalization of the elevated IGF-1 affinity. Thus, the induction and regression of cardiac eccentric hypertrophy seems to be largely dependent on cross talk between the renin-angiotensin system and the IGF-1 axis at the receptor level.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Male; Models, Theoretical; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renin-Angiotensin System; Time Factors

The functional significance of cross-regulation between the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been established in nonmyocyte cell types; however, the degree and functional significance of the interaction between RAS and TNF has not been characterized in the heart.. We examined the expression of components of the RAS in a line of transgenic mice (MHCsTNF) with cardiac restricted overexpression of TNF. When examined at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of age, the MHCsTNF mice had increased activation of myocardial RAS, as shown by an increase in ACE mRNA level and ACE activity and increased angiotensin II peptide levels. Furthermore, myocardial angiotensin receptor mRNA and protein levels were reduced in the MHCsTNF mice, consistent with homologous desensitization of the receptors. However, expression of renin and angiotensinogen was not increased in MHCsTNF mice compared with littermate controls. To determine the functional significance of RAS activation in the MHCsTNF mice, we treated the mice with an angiotensin type I receptor antagonist, losartan (30 mg/kg), or diluent from 4 to 8 weeks of age. Analysis of cardiac structure with MRI showed that treatment with losartan normalized left ventricular mass and wall thickness. Furthermore, treatment with losartan reduced myocardial collagen content and reduced the incidence of myocyte apoptosis.. Taken together, these results show that there are functionally significant interactions between RAS and TNF in the heart and that these interactions play an important role in the development and progression of left ventricular remodeling.

Topics: Age Factors; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensinogen; Animals; Body Weight; Cardiomegaly; Collagen; Hemodynamics; Losartan; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Myocardium; Organ Size; Organ Specificity; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2; Receptors, Angiotensin; Renin; Renin-Angiotensin System; RNA, Messenger; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Ventricular Remodeling

It is generally accepted that short-term (4 weeks) inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) of young spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) in their prehypertensive phase confers long-lasting protection from fully hypertensive levels in adulthood. However, there is very little data pertaining to the effects of such treatment in adult SHR with established hypertension. Therefore, we determined the relative effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition (perindopril), AT1 receptor blockade (candesartan cilexetil) and RAS-independent vasodilatation (hydralazine) and their withdrawal in adult SHR, on blood pressure measured by radiotelemetry, as well as on cardiac and vascular structure.. Adult male SHR were instrumented with radiotelemetry probes to measure blood pressure and heart rate continuously. SHR were given either vehicle, perindopril (1 mg/kg per day), candesartan cilexetil (2 mg/ kg per day) or hydralazine (30 mg/kg per day) at equieffective depressor doses for 4 weeks (treatment study). Separate groups of animals were also given identical treatments but were then monitored for a further 8 weeks after drug withdrawal (withdrawal study). An indirect in-vivo assessment of whole body vascular hypertrophy (mean arterial pressure during maximum vasoconstriction) was made during and after drug withdrawal, as was the pressor activity evoked by angiotensin I and angiotensin II. The effect of antihypertensive treatment on microalbuminuria was also assessed during and after drug withdrawal. Finally, left ventricular: body weight (Iv: bw) and mesenteric media: lumen ratios were determined either immediately after 4-week treatment (treatment study) or 8 weeks later (withdrawal study).. Perindopril persistently lowered blood pressure in adult SHR whereas blood pressure returned to vehicle levels within approximately 4 and 15 days after withdrawal of hydralazine and candesartan cilexetil, respectively. Cardiac hypertrophy was reduced by all three treatments, but to a lesser extent by hydralazine (treatment study), and this regression of cardiac hypertrophy persisted only with both types of RAS inhibition (withdrawal study). Vascular hypertrophy, measured indirectly and directly, was also reduced by all three treatments, with perindopril and candesartan cilexetil causing hypotrophic and eutrophic remodelling, respectively (treatment study), although these changes were generally not maintained after drug withdrawal (withdrawal study). Angiotensin I-induced pressor responses were equally inhibited during treatment with either candesaran cilexetil or perindopril (and were unaffected by hydralazine) but normalized rapidly in both groups (within approximately 2-4 days) after withdrawal of RAS inhibition. In addition, there was a small age-related increase in microalbuminuria over the study period, which was not significantly affected by any treatment.. Following 4-week treatment, candesartan cilexetil, perindopril and hydralazine caused similar antihypertensive effects; however, only perindopril persistently reduced blood pressure following drug withdrawal. Both types of RAS inhibition and hydralazine caused marked cardiac and vascular remodelling during treatment, whereas only the RAS inhibitors persistently regressed cardiac hypertrophy 8 weeks later. Collectively, these results indicate the importance of the RAS for the maintenance of hypertension and cardiovascular hypertrophy in adult SHR, as well as identifying differential effects of ACE inhibition and AT1 receptor blockade on persistent blood pressure reduction.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Benzimidazoles; Biphenyl Compounds; Blood Pressure; Blood Vessels; Cardiomegaly; Cardiovascular System; Drug Administration Schedule; Heart Rate; Hydralazine; Hypertension; Kidney; Male; Motor Activity; Perindopril; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Renin-Angiotensin System; Tetrazoles; Vasodilator Agents

To assess the possible contribution of the circulatory and cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS) to the cardiac hypertrophy induced by a beta-agonist, the present study evaluated the effects of isoproterenol, alone or combined with an angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor or AT(1) receptor blocker, on plasma and LV renin activity, ANG I, and ANG II, as well as left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) weight. Male Wistar rats received isoproterenol by osmotic minipump subcutaneously and quinapril or losartan once daily by gavage. Plasma and LV ANGs were measured by radioimmunoassay after separation by HPLC. Isoproterenol alone decreased blood pressure, more markedly when combined with losartan or quinapril. Isoproterenol significantly increased LV and RV weight and total collagen. Neither losartan nor quinapril inhibited the increases in LV or RV weight. Losartan prevented the increase in RV collagen but enhanced the increase in LV collagen. Isoproterenol increased plasma renin, ANG I, and ANG II three- to fourfold. Isoproterenol combined with losartan or quinapril, caused marked further increases except for a significant decrease in plasma ANG II with quinapril. Isoproterenol alone did not increase LV ANG II and, combined with losartan or quinapril, actually decreased LV ANG II. These results indicate that isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy is associated with clear increases in plasma ANG II, but not in LV ANG II. Both losartan and quinapril lower LV ANG II below control levels, but do not prevent the isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy. These findings do not support a role for the circulatory or cardiac RAS in the cardiac trophic responses to beta-receptor stimulation.

Topics: Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Collagen; Coronary Circulation; Heart Rate; Isoproterenol; Isoquinolines; Losartan; Male; Myocardium; Organ Size; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Quinapril; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Receptors, Angiotensin; Renin; Renin-Angiotensin System; Tetrahydroisoquinolines

To produce a chronical thyrotoxicosis model in rat, and to evaluate, using spectral analysis, the involvement of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in short-term variability of blood pressure (BP) in experimental hyperthyroidism.. Thyrotoxicosis was produced by a daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of L-thyroxine (T4: 0.1 mg/kg for 15 days) in Wistar rats. Control (euthyroid) rats received i.p. daily injection of the thyroxine solvent. Two series of experiments were performed in conscious and unrestrained rats. In the first series, 10 euthyroid and 14 hyperthyroid rats were surgically prepared with a femoral artery catheter to measure BP and heart rate (HR) and to collect blood samples on the last day of treatment. In the second series of experiments (n = 12 in each group), on the fifteenth day of treatment, BP and HR were recorded by telemetry in control conditions and after a specific blockade of the RAS by the angiotensin type I receptors antagonist: valsartan (10 mg/kg, i.p.). BP recordings were analysed by the Fast Fourier Transform on consecutive 204.8-s stationary periods.. The dose and duration of T4 treatment was sufficient to induce a significant degree of hyperthyroidism with characteristic features including: tachycardia, systolic hypertension, myocardial hypertrophy, hyperthermia, and weight loss. In addition, we measured an increase in free fractions of thyroid hormones, and a 3 fold-increase of plasma renin activity. Hyperthyroidism modified systolic BP (SBP) variability profiles. An amplification of low frequency (LF) oscillations (2.37 +/- 0.12 mmHg vs 1.78 +/- 0.11 mmHg, p < 0.01) was observed after T4 treatment. In hyperthyroid rats, valsartan diminished the slow fluctuations of SBP (p < 0.001) and increased the mid-frequency oscillations (2.44 +/- 0.20 mmHg vs 1.32 +/- 0.18 mmHg, p < 0.001).. The cardiovascular alterations of hyperthyroidism are reproduced with thyroid hormone injections in rats. Activation of the RAS in hyperthyroid rats was accompanied by increased SBP variability in the LF range. Using the angiotensin type I receptors antagonist, valsartan, we demonstrated that the RAS impinged on the LF oscillations of the SBP in our experimental hyperthyroidism model.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Chronic Disease; Disease Models, Animal; Fever; Fourier Analysis; Heart Rate; Hypertension; Hyperthyroidism; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Male; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Renin; Renin-Angiotensin System; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Tachycardia; Tetrazoles; Thyroid Hormones; Thyrotoxicosis; Thyroxine; Valine; Valsartan; Weight Loss

On high salt intake, Dahl salt-sensitive rats develop cardiac hypertrophy disproportionate to the degree of hypertension. In the present studies, we assessed whether the cardiac hypertrophy induced by high salt depends on the development of hypertension per se, and leads to over-activity of the cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS).. Cardiac angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) mRNA and activity, cardiac and plasma angiotensin I and II (AngI, II), as well as plasma renin activity (PRA) were assessed in Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) and salt-resistant (Dahl R) rats on high (1370 micromol/g food) or regular salt (120 micromol/g food) diet for 2-5 weeks. Cardiac ACE and hypertrophic response in Dahl S on high salt were also assessed after central blockade of sympathetic hyperactivity and hypertension.. In Dahl S rats, ACE mRNA and activity of the left ventricle (LV) increased markedly after 4-5 weeks of high salt diet compared with Dahl S on the control diet and Dahl R on either diet Chronic intra-cerebroventricular treatment with Fab fragments blocking brain 'ouabain' prevented the hypertension by high salt in Dahl S rats but did not affect the salt-induced increases in LV weight or in LV ACE mRNA and activity. On regular salt diet, Dahl S rats demonstrated significantly lower cardiac AngI and AngII than Dahl R rats. However, high salt intake did not cause significant changes in cardiac AngI and II in either strain. On regular salt diet, PRA, plasma AngI and II were all significantly lower in Dahl S versus R. In Dahl S rats, high salt did not cause further decreases of the already low PRA or plasma AngI and II.. These data indicate a low activity of both circulatory and cardiac RAS in Dahl S versus R rats. The marked cardiac hypertrophy and increase in cardiac ACE mRNA and activity induced by high salt in Dahl S do not depend on the increase in blood pressure. High salt intake did not increase cardiac AngII in Dahl S, suggesting that the increase in ACE mRNA and activity may be relevant for non-angiotensinergic mechanisms involved in cardiac hypertrophy.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Blood Pressure; Brain Chemistry; Cardiomegaly; Gene Expression; Heart Ventricles; Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; Male; Myocardium; Organ Size; Ouabain; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Rats, Inbred Dahl; Renin; Renin-Angiotensin System; RNA, Messenger; Sodium, Dietary; Sympathetic Nervous System

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have proven an effective means to control hypertension and manage cardiac hypertrophy. It is presently unknown if newer specific angiotensin II subtype 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonists are as effective or more effective in treating these conditions compared with ACE inhibitors. There is evidence that these classes of drugs may affect cardiac hypertrophy by different mechanisms. This study compared the effect of irbesartan, an AT1R antagonist, with that of captopril, an ACE inhibitor, on expression of early genetic markers of cardiac hypertrophy in lean male SHHF/Mcc-fa(cp) rats. SHHF/Mcc-fa(cp) rats (n = 10/group) were given captopril (100 mg/kg/day), irbesartan (50 mg/kg/day), or placebo for 16 weeks. Irbesartan and captopril significantly reduced systolic pressure and produced similar rightward shifts in the angiotensin I dose-response curve. Renal renin gene expression was increased 8.6-fold by irbesartan and 17.7-fold by captopril. The only effect on echocardiographic findings was a similar decrease in aortic peak velocity, an index of systolic function, by both treatments. Early markers of cardiac hypertrophy were significantly attenuated by both drugs. Both drugs produced marked and equivalent reductions in left ventricular atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) messenger RNA (mRNA) levels compared with controls. This decrease in ANP gene expression was accompanied by a decrease in plasma ANP concentration in the treatment groups. The shift from V1 to V3 myosin isozymes was similarly decreased in both treatment groups, compared with controls. These data suggest that captopril and irbesartan are similarly effective in controlling expression of genes associated with ventricular hypertrophy in heart failure-prone SHHF/Mcc-fa(cp) rat.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Biphenyl Compounds; Blood Pressure; Body Weight; Captopril; Cardiomegaly; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Echocardiography; Gene Expression; Heart Failure; Irbesartan; Isoenzymes; Male; Myosin Heavy Chains; Organ Size; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 2; Renin; RNA, Messenger; Systole; Tetrazoles

We studied the effects of des-Asp-angiotensin I, a nine amino acid peptide, on cardiac hypertrophy caused by coarctation of the abdominal aorta in Sprague-Dawley rats. The nonapeptide was effective when given either intravenously or orally. Maximum attenuation was observed with an i.v. dose of 153 pmol/day for 4 days, and an oral dose of 250 nmol/day for 4 days. Three mg p.o. losartan, an angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonist, produced comparable attenuation. However, the attenuation produced by des-Asp-angiotensin I but not by losartan was blunted by 30.4 micromol of indomethacin. The oral efficacy of the nonapeptide was partly due to its low effective i.v. doses which were in the nM range. This range is below the Km of most enzymes including those of the intestinal peptidases (the Km of most enzymes is in the microM range). However, the mechanism of absorption of the peptide from the GIT into the systemic circulation remains to be investigated. The findings demonstrate for the first time, the anti-cardiac hypertrophic action of an angiotensin peptide. Unlike the ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor antagonists, the nonapeptide acts as an agonist on an indomethacin-sensitive angiotensin receptor to exert its action.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Indomethacin; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Angiotensin

The objective of the study was to determine whether angiotensin (Ang) I elimination in lung circulation depends on the degree of myocardial damage with and without early long-term perindopril treatment in a rat model of myocardial injury induced by intracoronary microembolization. Twenty-one days after surgery, steady-state arterial [125I]-Ang I and [125I]-Ang II blood concentrations were measured after high-performance liquid chromatography separation during i.v. infusion of [125I]-Ang I in three groups of male Wistar conscious rats: (a) sham-operated rats receiving saline (sham group, n = 6); (b) rats after coronary microembolization receiving saline (saline group, n = 7); and (c) rats after coronary microembolization receiving perindopril (2 mg/kg/day; from days 2-20 after embolization; perindopril group, n = 6). Ang I clearance and the Ang I-to-Ang II concentration ratio (R) were estimated. The embolization per se resulted in focal fibrosis, appearance of hypertrophic and dystrophic cardiac myocytes, and was accompanied by increased Ang I clearance (1,479 vs. 314 ml/min in sham group), 1.8-fold decreased [125I]-Ang II arterial level, and decreased R (0.5 vs. 1.2 in sham group; p < 0.05). Only Ang I concentrations and R were correlated with number of scars (r = -0.77; p < 0.05; and r = -0.82; p < 0.01, respectively). Captopril bolus (1 mg/kg, i.v.) caused similar reduction in [125I]-Ang II blood concentration in both sham and saline groups, but a significant increase of [125I]-Ang I blood concentration was detected in the sham group only. Thus in rats with coronary microembolization, a higher proportion of Ang I in lung circulation is eliminated by pathways independent of angiotensin-converting enzyme. In the perindopril group, a reduced number of scars (seven vs. 17 per slice in the saline group; p < 0.05), density of dystrophic and hypertrophic cardiac myocytes, and increased content of cell glycogen were observed. It was accompanied by normalized arterial [125I]-Ang I concentration, Ang I clearance, and R; [125I]-Ang II concentration tended to that in sham group. Only in the sham and perindopril groups was there significant correlation between Ang I and Ang II concentrations. The clear relation between number of scars per slice and R (r = -0.83; p < 0.01) was observed in all rats with embolized coronary vessels (saline and perindopril groups together). In conclusion, in this experimental, model Ang I elimination in the lung circulation was directly

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Cardiomegaly; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Hemodynamics; Indoles; Infusions, Intravenous; Lung; Male; Microspheres; Perindopril; Rats; Rats, Wistar

Although many lines of evidence have suggested that angiotensin II (Ang II) plays an important role in development of cardiac hypertrophy, the mechanism by which Ang II increases protein synthesis in cardiac myocytes remains unclear. It has been reported that the phosphorylation of S6 protein in 40 S ribosome is correlated to the efficiency of protein synthesis. In the present study, we have examined whether Ang II activates p70 S6 kinase (p70S6K), which has been reported to phosphorylate S6 protein. Ang II activated p70S6K through AT1 receptor. An immunosuppressant agent, rapamycin, inhibited Ang II-induced p70S6K activation but not the activation of MAP kinases or the induction of c-fos gene expression. Rapamycin also abolished Ang II-induced increase in protein synthesis. These results suggest that Ang II induces cardiac hypertrophy by activating p70S6K.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Cells, Cultured; Enzyme Activation; Gene Expression; Genes, fos; Immunosuppressive Agents; Myocardium; Phosphorylation; Polyenes; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Angiotensin; Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases; Sirolimus

Although it is well known that mechanical load to cardiac muscles causes cardiac hypertrophy, little is known about how mechanical load is transduced into the activation of intracellular signals which are linked to cell growth. We investigated whether the cardiac renin-angiotensin system was involved in stretch-induced hypertrophy of cultured neonatal rat heart myocytes. Myocytes were cultured with serum-free medium in a deformable silicon dish. Stretch of cardiac myocytes significantly increased the protein/DNA ratio at culture days 6 and 7, and the RNA/DNA ratio at culture days 4 and 5. Stretch significantly accelerated rates of protein synthesis by 15%. c-fos mRNA expression was significantly increased after stretch. The stimulatory effects of cell stretch on these parameters were significantly inhibited by the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, or the type 1 angiotensin II receptor antagonist, losartan. The concentrations of angiotensin I and angiotensin II in culture media were significantly increased by stretch. Stretch did not change the angiotensin converting enzyme activity. These studies demonstrate that mechanical stretch activates the cardiac renin-angiotensin system in a autocrine and paracrine system which acts as an initial mediator of the stretch-induced hypertrophic growth.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Angiotensins; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Biphenyl Compounds; Captopril; Cardiomegaly; Cells, Cultured; Heart; Imidazoles; Losartan; Muscle Proteins; Muscle Spindles; Myocardium; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renin; Tetrazoles

The renin-angiotensin system has been implicated in the hypertrophic adaptation of the heart to exogenous pathological loads, such as hypertension and aortic stenosis; however, the role of this hormonal system in the cardiac adaptations to physiological loads, such as chronic exercise conditioning, has not been established. We therefore studied the effect of angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1) blockade on the chronic cardiac responses of rats subjected to an 8-wk swimming program. Compared with matched sedentary controls, untreated swimmers increased their left ventricular weights by 13%, and swimmers treated with the AT1 antagonist L-158809 increased their left ventricular weights by 11% (both P < 0.05 vs. sedentary controls). The incorporation of labeled amino acids into the heart at the time of death was unchanged in all groups, and therefore the increase in heart weight in both swim-conditioned groups appeared to reflect a decrease in the rate of protein degradation in the heart. Hearts from both swim-conditioned groups manifested an increase in the V1-predominant myosin isoform pattern but not an increase in atrial natriuretic factor mRNA expression or protein kinase C translocation. The fact that these patterns of adaptation are preserved in exercised conditioned animals treated with an AT1 antagonist suggests that the chronic hypertrophic response of the heart to physiological loads is not influenced by the renin-angiotensin system.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Blotting, Northern; Body Weight; Cardiomegaly; Contractile Proteins; Female; Heart Rate; Imidazoles; Myocardial Contraction; Organ Size; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Protein Kinase C; Rats; Rats, Wistar; RNA, Messenger; Tetrazoles

Recent studies are reviewed dealing with the putative roles of the cardiac renin-angiotensin system in the development of pressure-overload hypertrophy and the subsequent transition from adaptive hypertrophy to diastolic dysfunction, impaired systolic function and cardiac failure. The results of these studies, which employed the aortic banded rat model of cardiac hypertrophy, indicate that the intracardiac conversion of angiotensin I (Ang I) to angiotensin II (Ang II) is significantly increase in hypertrophied hearts compared with hearts from age-matched, sham-operated controls, and that Ang II may have a direct effect of slowing relaxation and altering diastolic tone in the hypertrophied heart. Furthermore, in patients with aortic stenosis and severe baseline abnormalities of diastolic relaxation and filling, acute intracardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, totally in the absence of any systemic effect on neurohormones, improved diastolic function. ACE inhibition was found to reduce net ACE activity and to increase plasma renin activity in aortic banded animals compared with untreated banded controls. There was also a trend for circulating noradrenaline levels to be increased at this stage of transition to failure in the untreated banded animals but ACE inhibition tended to restore the levels back to normal. In ACE inhibitor-treated animals, left ventricular (LV) diastolic pressure was significantly reduced, despite the persistent elevation of systolic pressure, but not yet restored completely to normal. In untreated, banded animals the transition to cardiac failure was evidenced as an increase in both systolic and diastolic dimensions with a reduction in fractional shortening.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Blood Pressure; Cardiomegaly; Disease Models, Animal; Heart Failure; Humans; Myocardial Contraction; Rats; Renin-Angiotensin System; Ventricular Function, Left

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been proposed to play a major role in causing the heart to hypertrophy during pressure overload. We examined whether blockade of this system by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors enalapril (0.5 to 20 mg/kg p.o.) or ramipril (1.0 mg/kg p.o.) or the angiotensin receptor (AT1) antagonist losartan (3.0 mg/kg p.o.) could prevent pressure overload-induced hypertrophy. Pressure overload was produced by abdominal aortic constriction in rats. Cardiac hypertrophy was assessed by an increase in the ratio of left ventricular (LV) weight to body weight and total protein content of the left ventricle. Treatment with enalapril or ramipril, initiated 3 weeks after aortic banding and continued for 3 more weeks, failed to prevent the progression or cause regression of cardiac hypertrophy. Treatment for 6 weeks with ramipril initiated immediately after aortic banding also failed to prevent cardiac hypertrophy. Losartan treatment initiated 3 weeks after aortic banding and continued for 3 more weeks resulted in a slight but significant reduction in the extent of cardiac hypertrophy (45.6% hypertrophy in controls and 35.6% hypertrophy in losartan-treated animals, p < 0.05, n = 11 and 10, respectively). Surgical removal of bands 3 weeks after placement reduced cardiac hypertrophy to a greater extent than that observed in losartan-treated animals. These results suggest that angiotensin may not play a major role in causing pressure overload-induced hypertrophy or in maintaining such hypertrophy.

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Aorta, Abdominal; Biphenyl Compounds; Blood Pressure; Body Weight; Cardiomegaly; Enalapril; Heart Ventricles; Imidazoles; Losartan; Male; Organ Size; Ramipril; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Renin-Angiotensin System; Tetrazoles; Ventricular Function

The aim of the study was to compare, in a rat model of congestive heart failure, the effect of captopril, a selective angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE; EC 3.4.15.1) inhibitor, to that of alatriopril, a mixed inhibitor of ACE and atriopeptidase (EC 3.4.24.11), an enzyme implicated in the degradation of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF). Myocardial infarction was induced by ligation of the left coronary artery. Groups of rats received orally twice daily captopril (10 mg/kg), alatriopril (100 mg/kg) or vehicle. Treatments were started 18 to 20 h after ligation and continued for 4 weeks. Hypertrophic and hormonal changes reflecting congestive heart failure were assessed in rats with large infarcts by measuring the relative weight of cardiac tissues as well as by assaying ANF in heart and plasma and by measuring renin activity in plasma. Both treatments significantly reduced cardiac hypertrophy, but alatriopril showed a greater efficacy than captopril--the increase in relative heart weight reaching 38% with captopril and only 22% with alatriopril (P < .05). The hypertrophy of right ventricle was reduced by 47% with alatriopril and by 35% with captopril (N.S.), whereas the corresponding reductions for atria were 47% vs. 21% (P < .05). Both treatments prevented the ligation-induced increase of ANF level in the right ventricle. In contrast, plasma ANF level was significantly reduced after captopril but not after alatriopril treatment, a difference that probably reflects the protection of endogenous ANF in circulation resulting from atriopeptidase inhibition. Plasma renin was increased by 36-fold after captopril but only by 1.6-fold after alatriopril, a difference that presumably reflects the inhibition of renal renin secretion by endogenous ANF after alatriopril. These data suggest that enhancement of ANF levels in circulation via atriopeptidase inhibition magnifies the capacity of ACE inhibitors to prevent cardiac hypertrophy, and they show the potential therapeutic value of mixed ACE-atriopeptidase inhibitors in congestive heart failure.

Topics: Alanine; Amino Acid Sequence; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Blood Pressure; Body Weight; Bradykinin; Captopril; Cardiomegaly; Dioxoles; Disease Models, Animal; Heart Failure; Hormones; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Myocardial Infarction; Myocardium; Neprilysin; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Renin

The aims were: (1) to study the acute effects of captopril on the action potential characteristics of ventricular fibres from the normal rat, (2) to compare the effects of captopril with those of perindoprilat, a non-thiol angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, (3) to determine the electrophysiological properties of the peptide substrates of converting enzyme, bradykinin and angiotensin I, and (4) to investigate whether the effects of captopril occurring in the healthy heart also occur in two models of ventricular hypertrophy.. Action potentials were recorded with the standard glass microelectrode technique in right ventricular preparations excised from rat hearts and superfused under baseline conditions and with drug containing or peptide containing Tyrode solution. Ventricular hypertrophy was induced in response to hypertension (unilaterally nephrectomised, DOCA-salt model) or 4 week old left ventricular infarction.. In preparations from normal rat hearts, captopril increased action potential duration in a concentration dependent fashion [EC50 = 3.5 x 10(-8) M; maximum effect = 44(SEM 5.1)% prolongation at 10(-5) M for action potential duration at 90% repolarisation, APD90]. Perindoprilat similarly caused a dose dependent increase in action potential duration, but with 100 times greater potency [EC50 = 3.1 x 10(-10) M; maximum effect = 71(11)% prolongation at 10(-5) M for APD90]. SQ 14,534, a stereoisomer of captopril with one hundredth the ACE inhibitor potency, had no significant effect on action potential duration at 10(-5) M. Angiotensin I and bradykinin caused concentration dependent prolongation of action potential, but angiotensin II (10(-6) M) had no effect. Captopril (10(-5) M) had no significant effect in the hypertrophied right ventricle from DOCA-salt hypertensive rats, but significantly increased APD90 [39(4.9)%] in right ventricular preparations from rats with 4 week old anterior left ventricular infarction.. In the rat, captopril prolongs action potential duration, an effect possibly due to local accumulation of bradykinin and angiotensin I.

Topics: Action Potentials; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Animals; Bradykinin; Captopril; Cardiomegaly; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Heart; Hypertension; Indoles; Myocardial Infarction; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rats, Wistar

Hypertrophy is a fundamental adaptive process employed by postmitotic cardiac and skeletal muscle in response to mechanical load. How muscle cells convert mechanical stimuli into growth signals has been a long-standing question. Using an in vitro model of load (stretch)-induced cardiac hypertrophy, we demonstrate that mechanical stretch causes release of angiotensin II (Ang II) from cardiac myocytes and that Ang II acts as an initial mediator of the stretch-induced hypertrophic response. The results not only provide direct evidence for the autocrine mechanism in load-induced growth of cardiac muscle cells, but also define the pathophysiological role of the local (cardiac) renin-angiotensin system.

Topics: Actins; Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Angiotensinogen; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Cardiomegaly; Cells, Cultured; Cytoplasmic Granules; Endothelins; Gene Expression Regulation; Genes, fos; Hypertrophy; In Vitro Techniques; Mechanoreceptors; Myocardium; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Renin; RNA, Messenger; Stress, Mechanical

It has been known for a long time that systemic infusion of angiotensin II in patients with coronary artery disease or normal control subjects causes a marked increase in left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and systolic pressure (LVP) (1,2). In this setting angiotensin II produces a marked increase in afterload that makes it difficult to acknowledge possible local myocardial effects of the peptide. The studies (3-8) summarized in the present paper were designed to examine the physiological role of local cardiac angiotensin II generation and local bradykinin degradation on cardiac function in the normal and hypertrophied rat heart. Angiotensin I and angiotensin II, infused in isolated, well oxygenated, buffer perfused normal rat hearts, produced a mild increase in LVEDP with no change in systolic function (3). In contrast, in hypertrophied rat hearts, angiotensin I and angiotensin II caused a marked deterioration of diastolic function, increasing LVEDP from 10 to 25-37 mmHg on average (3,5). Preliminary evidence suggests that angiotensin II effects on diastolic function are mediated via a protein kinase C dependent pathway that might involve Na+/H+ exchange (4,5). When cardiac angiotensin converting enzyme was blocked by infusion of an ACE inhibitor prior and in parallel to angiotensin I infusion no changes in diastolic function were noted (6). Furthermore, ACE inhibition blunted the diastolic dysfunction during low flow ischemia in isolated hypertrophied rat hearts (7). This effect of ACE inhibition was even more remarkeable, since no exogenous angiotensin was infused in this experiment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Angiotensin I; Angiotensin II; Animals; Cardiomegaly; Diastole; Enalaprilat; Heart; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Myocardium; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reference Values; RNA, Messenger; Ventricular Function, Left