Role of the renin–angiotensin system in vascular inflammation

Angiotensin (Ang) II, the main effector of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), is one of the major mediators of vascular remodeling in hypertension. Besides being a potent vasoactive peptide, Ang II exerts proinflammatory effects on the vasculature by inducing integrins, adhesion molecules, cytokine...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in pharmacological sciences (Regular ed.) 2008-07, Vol.29 (7), p.367-374
Main Authors: Marchesi, Chiara, Paradis, Pierre, Schiffrin, Ernesto L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advanced Basic Science
Aldosterone - physiology
Angiotensin II - pharmacology
Animals
Capillary Permeability
Chemokine CCL2 - physiology
Humans
Hypertension - etiology
NF-kappa B - physiology
Oxidative Stress
Renin-Angiotensin System - physiology
Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 - physiology
Vasculitis - etiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Angiotensin (Ang) II, the main effector of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), is one of the major mediators of vascular remodeling in hypertension. Besides being a potent vasoactive peptide, Ang II exerts proinflammatory effects on the vasculature by inducing integrins, adhesion molecules, cytokines and growth and profibrotic mediators through activation of redox-sensitive pathways and transcription factors. Clinical findings suggest that inflammation participates in the mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension and its complications. Antagonists of the RAS have been shown to exert cardiovascular protection, in part through their vascular anti-inflammatory effects. However, further studies are needed to better understand whether inflammatory biomarkers might be clinically useful for cardiovascular risk stratification and whether targeting inflammation pharmacologically will improve cardiovascular outcomes beyond blood pressure reduction. The present review addresses recent findings regarding the pathophysiology of vascular inflammation in hypertension, focusing specifically on the role of Ang II.
ISSN:0165-6147
1873-3735
DOI:10.1016/j.tips.2008.05.003