Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0033687 (proteinuria)
 24,015 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular homeostasis and by activating angiotensin I into angiotensin II and inactivating bradykinin. These two peptides play antagonistic roles on the cardiovascular system by regulating vascular tone and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Identification of the ACE gene as a genetic marker for various forms of cardiovascular disease is a recent result of the progress made in molecular biology and genetics. The insertion/deletion (ID) polymorphism of the ACE gene defined by the presence or absence of the 287 base pair Alu sequence situated in intron 16 has been investigated as a possible genetic marker for a variety of cardiovascular disease including myocardial infarction, essential hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and diabetic vascular complications. This paper reviews prior reports and briefly describes our recent study on the association of the ACE I/D polymorphism and antiproteinuric effect of ACE inhibitors in patients with proteinuria.
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PMID:Angiotensin I-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism: potential significance in nephrology. 874 24

Angiotensin (Ang) II is generated within the kidney via a complex transcellular pathway. Renin release is not the sole determinant of Ang II levels; the expression of angiotensinogen, Ang-converting enzyme, and angiotensinases may also regulate local Ang II. The Ang II levels in some intrarenal compartments are several orders of magnitude higher than in plasma; plasma measurements may not always predict local Ang II levels. Besides its effects on systemic blood pressure, Ang II modulates glomerular hemodynamics by constricting preferentially the efferent arteriole. The evidence available indicates that both the hemodynamic and nonhemodynamic effects of Ang II are mediated by the type 1 Ang II receptor. Nonhemodynamic effects of Ang II include stimulation of the growth of renal vascular and glomerular cells, increased synthesis of matrix molecules, and possibly a stimulation of monocyte/macrophage infiltration. These effects of the octapeptide may contribute to glomerular sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis. Intervention studies have shown that blockade of Ang II formation by Ang-converting enzyme inhibition reduces proteinuria and delays the progression of renal insufficiency in patients with diabetic and nondiabetic glomerular diseases.
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PMID:Role of angiotensin II in glomerular injury: lessons from experimental and clinical studies. 895 37

The evaluation of a new drug in normotensive volunteers can provide important information, as long as the compound has a specific mechanism of action which can be evaluated in healthy subjects as well as in patients. The purpose of the present paper is to review the renal effects of new specific angiotensin II receptor antagonists observed in normotensive subjects and to compare them to those of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II antagonists induces an expected increase in plasma renin activity and plasma angiotensin I levels. Plasma angiotensin II levels decrease with ACE inhibitors, whereas they increase with angiotensin II receptor blockade. So far, the expected decrease in plasma aldosterone levels has been difficult to demonstrate with most angiotensin II antagonists. In normotensive subjects, ACE inhibitors, as well as angiotensin II antagonists, cause no change in glomerular filtration rate and either no modification or an increase in renal blood flow. Both approaches to block the renin-angiotensin system are natriuretic, and the natriuresis is more pronounced in salt-depleted subjects. Finally, in contrast to ACE inhibitors and other angiotensin II receptor antagonist, losartan markedly increases uric acid excretion and lowers plasma uric acid levels. This unique property of losartan is due to a direct interference of losartan with the uric acid transport system in the proximal tubule. The data obtained in normal subjects therefore suggest that ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists have comparable renal properties. Whether this is also true in hypertensive patients and in patients with proteinuria and chronic renal failure remains to be demonstrated.
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PMID:Renal effects of angiotensin II receptor blockade and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in healthy subjects. 900 96

In several models of renal disease progression, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduced proteinuria and limited glomerulosclerosis, which suggested that reduction of renal angiotensin II (Ang II) activity is crucial for the preservation of glomerular structure and function. However, it cannot be ruled out that other hormonal systems, including inhibition of the bradykinin breakdown, also play a role. We compared the effects of chronic treatment with the ACE inhibitor lisinopril with those of a specific Ang II receptor antagonist, L-158,809, on proteinuria and renal injury in passive Heymann nephritis (PHN), a model of immune renal disease that closely resembles human membranous nephropathy, with long-lasting proteinuria followed by tubulointerstitial damage and glomerulosclerosis. Passive Heymann nephritis was induced with 0.5 mL/100 g of rabbit anti-Fx1A antibody in 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were divided into three groups of eight rats each, and were given the following in the drinking water on a daily basis: lisinopril (40 mg/L), L-158,809 (50 mg/L), or no therapy. Treatment started at day 7 (proteinuria was already present) and lasted 12 months. Eight normal rats were used as controls. Untreated PHN rats developed hypertension, while rats with PHN given lisinopril or L-158,809 all had systolic blood pressure values even lower than those of normal rats. Urinary protein excretion progressively increased with time in untreated PHN rats, who developed tubulointerstitial damage and glomerulosclerosis. Both lisinopril and L-158,809 exhibited a potent antiproteinuric effect and preserved glomerular and tubular structural integrity at a similar extent. Renal gene expression of transforming growth factor-beta and extracellular matrix proteins was also effectively reduced by the two treatments. These results indicate that ACE inhibitors and Ang II receptor antagonists are equally effective in preventing renal injury in PHN and suggest that the renoprotective effects of ACE inhibitors in this model are solely due to inhibition of Ang II.
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PMID:The renoprotective properties of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in a chronic model of membranous nephropathy are solely due to the inhibition of angiotensin II: evidence based on comparative studies with a receptor antagonist. 901 98

As angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition is accompanied by a marked decrease in glomerular protein loss, the hypothesis was tested that an increase of the glomerular transcapillary hydraulic pressure difference by exogenous angiotensin II would increase microalbuminuria in patients with insulin (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Acute effects of increasing doses of angiotensin II (1, 3 and 6 ng/kg/min) were studied on mean arterial pressure (MAP), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow (ERPF), filtration fraction (FF), total renal vascular resistance (TRVR), and urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) in 11 IDDM and 11 NIDDM microalbuminuric patients. Angiotensin II infusion changed MAP from 100 +/- 3 mmHg at baseline to 105 +/- 3, 111 +/- 3, and 116 +/- 3 mmHg (P < 0.001), ERPF from 542 +/- 29 to 478 +/- 24, 429 +/- 23, and 382 +/- 19 ml/min (P < 0.001), FF from 20.2 +/- 0.06 to 23.1 +/- 0.7, 27.1 +/- 1.1, and 29.8 +/- 1.2% (P < 0.001), and TRVR from 9454 +/- 809 to 11,158 +/- 930, 13,310 +/- 1206, and 15,538 +/- 1362 dyne s cm-5 (P < 0.001). GFR and UAER, however, did not change significantly. Therefore, during angiotensin II infusion ERPF decreased, while FF and TRVR increased. As UAER and GFR remained unchanged, the presumed rise in intraglomerular capillary pressure by exogenous angiotensin II did not increase UAER. We suggest that during manipulation of the renin-angiotensin system, as in other renal diseases with proteinuria, factors other than glomerular transcapillary hydraulic pressure determine the degree of urinary albumin loss in microalbuminuric IDDM and NIDDM patients.
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PMID:Urinary albumin excretion rate during angiotensin II infusion in microalbuminuric patients with insulin and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. 913 45

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors diminish proteinuria and the progression to renal failure in several experimental models of renal injury. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) possesses potent biological actions on renal vessels and has been considered as a potential mediator of renal damage. Because angiotensin II (Ang II) induces ET-1 synthesis in endothelial and mesangial cells, we hypothesized that some of the beneficial effects of the ACE inhibitors could result from the blockade of ET-1 synthesis. In a normotensive model of immune-complex nephritis, in which there exists an increase in renal ACE activity, the effect of the ACE inhibitor quinapril on preproET-1 and ETA receptor mRNA expression, as well as on ET-1 protein levels, was examined in this study. In relation to controls, nephritic rats showed an increase in preproET-1 and ETA receptor gene expression in renal cortex and medulla, coinciding with the maximal renal ACE activity. PreproET-1 mRNA (in situ hybridization) and ET-1 protein (immunohistochemistry) were localized in glomerular capillary walls, mesangial and glomerular epithelial cells, as well as in the brush border of some proximal tubules, and in small vessels. In nephritic rats, there was an increase in preproET-1 mRNA levels and ET-1 protein in all of these areas, without modification of their distribution. The administration of the ACE inhibitor quinapril decreased proteinuria and morphological lesions, preproET-1 gene transcription, and ET-1 protein levels, as well as the ETA receptor mRNA. The results from this study show that in a normotensive model of immune-complex nephritis, there was an overexpression of ET-1 in several structures of the kidney that was downregulated by quinapril administration. The beneficial effect of ACE inhibitors could be a result of the modulation of local production of Ang II and ET-1.
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PMID:Quinapril decreases renal endothelin-1 expression and synthesis in a normotensive model of immune-complex nephritis. 917 45

In the glomerulus, angiotensin II (Ang II) reduces the ultrafiltration coefficient and enhances the filtration of macromolecules. During glomerular injury, inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system by angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors reduces proteinuria and retards the progression to end-stage renal insufficiency. The mechanisms by which Ang II modulates glomerular function are still a matter of investigation. To study whether Ang II may regulate the cytosolic calcium activity ([Ca2+]i) in podocytes, these cells were propagated in short-term culture and the effect of Ang II was examined with the Fura-2 microfluorescence technique in single podocytes. The cellular identity of cultured podocytes was proven by the expression of WT-1 and pp44, specific antibodies against podocytes in vivo. Ang II led to a concentration-dependent, reversible and slow increase of [Ca2+]i with an EC50 of 3 nmol/liter Ang II (N = 229). Ten nmol/liter Ang II increased [Ca2+]i from 41 +/- 9 to 260 +/- 34 nmol/liter (N = 210). In a solution with an extracellular reduced Ca2+ concentration of 10 micromol/liter, Ang II-mediated [Ca2+]i increase was significantly reduced by 60 +/- 20% (N = 12), indicating that the [Ca2+]i increase was due to a Ca2+ influx from the extracellular space and a release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Flufenamate, an inhibitor of non-selective ion channels, significantly inhibited Ang II-mediated increase of [Ca2+]i (IC50 = 20 micromol/liter, N = 29), whereas the L-type Ca2+ channel blocker nicardipine even in high concentrations of > 1 micromol/liter had only a small inhibitory effect. The AT1 receptor antagonist losartan inhibited Ang II-mediated [Ca2+]i increase with an IC50 of about 0.3 nmol/liter (N = 35). The data suggest that Ang II increases [Ca2+]i in podocytes by an influx of Ca2+ through non-selective channels and by a release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. The effect of Ang II is mediated via an AT1 receptor.
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PMID:Angiotensin II increases the cytosolic calcium activity in rat podocytes in culture. 929 Nov 88

An interaction between angiotensin (Ang) II and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 is gaining increasing recognition. Ang II has been implicated in the progression of renal disease, and TGF-beta 1 is a potent fibrosis-promoting cytokine. We sought to determine whether the beneficial effects of renin-angiotensin system blockade on remnant kidney function were associated with a reduction in renal TGF-beta 1 in this model of chronic renal failure. After subtotal renal ablation, rats fed a 40% protein diet and treated with losartan not only had a reduction in systolic BP (96 +/- 8 versus 130 +/- 8 mmHg, P < 0.05, losartan versus control) and urinary protein excretion (4 +/- 5 versus 23 +/- 20 g/d, P < 0.05, losartan versus control), but also exhibited a reduction in renal TGF-beta 1 mRNA (194 +/- 64 versus 411 +/- 101 optical density units, P < 0.05, losartan versus control) and TGF-beta 1 protein levels (9.8 +/- 2.5 versus 18.6 +/- 5.8 ng/g of renal tissue, P < 0.05, losartan versus control). The elevation of TGF-beta 1 in the remnant kidney was most pronounced in the scar region (22.9 +/- 13.1 versus 5.8 +/- 3.7 ng/g, P < 0.05, scar versus nonscar). A combination of reserpine, hydralazine, and hydrochlorothiazide, although effective in lowering systemic BP in this model of chronic renal failure, was not associated with a reduction in proteinuria or TGF-beta 1. We conclude that in this model of progressive renal injury, Ang II antagonism may exert a beneficial effect in part by its negative influence on TGF-beta 1.
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PMID:Interaction of angiotensin II and TGF-beta 1 in the rat remnant kidney. 935 76

We previously reported a new animal model of progressive glomerulonephritis induced by a single intravenous injection of the anti-Thy-1 monoclonal antibody MoAb 1-22-3 into uninephrectomized rats (Clin Exp Immunol 102: 181-185, 1995). We examined the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor antagonist (candesartan) on the clinical features and morphological lesions of this new model. By 10 weeks after induction of nephritis, untreated rats had developed hypertension, massive proteinuria, renal dysfunction, and severe glomerular injury, while uninephrectomized control rats had not. There was a significant increase in levels of glomerular protein and cortical mRNA for transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and type I and type III collagens in untreated nephritic rats. Ten week treatments with candesartan and hydralazine significantly reduced blood pressure (BP) to an equal extent. Candesartan, but not hydralazine, prevented proteinuria, normalized renal function, and ameliorated glomerular injury. Candesartan also reduced levels of glomerular protein and cortical mRNA for TGF-beta and type I and type III collagens, while hydralazine did not. These findings suggest that candesartan prevents progression to end-stage renal failure by modulating the effects of Ang II at least in part on the production of TGF-beta and type I and type III collagens, and not merely on systemic BP.
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PMID:Candesartan prevents the progression of mesangioproliferative nephritis in rats. 940 66

Chronic treatment of saline-drinking stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) with agents that interfere with the formation or actions of angiotensin II (Ang II) prevents the development of stroke and renal vascular damage. Ang II, in addition to its direct vascular effects, stimulates the synthesis and release of aldosterone. To assess the role of aldosterone in the development of pathologic changes in these rats, we implanted time-release pellets containing 200 mg of the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, spironolactone, into 14 SHRSP at 7.5 weeks of age. Eight SHRSP littermates received placebo pellets. Over the period of study (3 to 4 weeks), systolic blood pressure (SBP) was not different between the groups. Spironolactone did not enhance water and electrolyte excretion. All placebo-treated SHRSP developed marked proteinuria (150+/-6 mg/d) whereas in spironolactone-treated SHRSP, urinary protein excretion (UPE) averaged 39+/-9 mg/d (P<.0001). In a second study to assess effects on survival, 6 SHRSP received spironolactone (10 mg/kg/d) and 6 received vehicle. All but one of the control rats displayed signs of stroke and died by 16 weeks of age, while the spironolactone-treated SHRSP remained asymptomatic through 19 weeks of age (P<.03). At 16 weeks of age, spironolactone-treated SHRSP were severely hypertensive (247+/-3 mm Hg), yet UPE remained at baseline levels. In contrast, preterminal UPE averaged 136+/-13 mg/d in control rats (P<.0001). In both studies, histopathologic examination revealed a marked protective effect of spironolactone against the development of malignant nephrosclerotic and cerebrovascular lesions. These observations indicate a vascular and end organ protective effect of spironolactone in the absence of lowered blood pressure in saline-drinking SHRSP and are consistent with a major role for mineralocorticoids as hormonal mediators of vascular injury.
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PMID:Mineralocorticoid blockade reduces vascular injury in stroke-prone hypertensive rats. 945 44


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