PMID: 9422848Jan 10, 1998Paper

Vasculoprotective and cardioprotective mechanisms of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition: the homeostatic balance between angiotensin II and nitric oxide

Clinical Cardiology
G H Gibbons

Abstract

The ability of the vasculature to modify its geometry in accordance with conditions of its microenvironment--the process of vascular remodeling--is an important pathobiologic process common to vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis, restenosis after angioplasty, and hypertension. Vascular remodeling characterizes the natural history of atherosclerosis, contributes to increased vascular resistance, and may contribute to the clinical complications of hypertension. A growing body of evidence indicates that locally generated vasoactive substances such as angiotensin II and nitric oxide are important determinants of the natural history of vascular disease. In particular, angiotensin II may promote vascular lesion formation by increasing vascular cell population via increased cell growth and decreased programmed cell death, and it may also alter extracellular matrix composition. Thus, angiotensin II is a pleiotropic local mediator capable of modulating cell growth, programmed cell death, migration of vascular smooth muscle cells, and extracellular matrix modulation, all of which are biologic mechanisms of vascular remodeling and intimal formation. This is proposed to occur via a local tissue angiotensin system. Angiotensin II may...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antihypertensive Agents: Mechanisms of Action

Antihypertensive drugs are used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) which aims to prevent the complications of high blood pressure, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Discover the latest research on antihypertensive drugs and their mechanism of action here.

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis

Related Papers

International Journal of Clinical Practice. Supplement
T F Lüscher
Journal of Hypertension. Supplement : Official Journal of the International Society of Hypertension
F RuschitzkaT F Lüscher
Progress in Retinal and Eye Research
I O HaefligerT F Lüscher
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved