Blockade of brain "ouabain" prevents the sympathetic hyperactivity and impairment of baroreflex function in rats with congestive heart failure (CHF). Because brain "ouabain" may act by activating the brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS), the aim of the present study was to assess whether chronic treatment with the AT1-receptor blocker losartan given centrally normalizes the sympathetic hyperact...

Leptin inhibits feeding and decreases body weight. It may act partly by inhibiting hypothalamic neurons that express neuropeptide Y, a powerful inducer of feeding and obesity. These neuropeptide Y neurons express the Ob-Rb leptin receptor and are overactive in the fatty (fa/fa) Zucker rat. The fa mutation affects the extracellular domain of the leptin receptor, but its impact on leptin action a...

The systemic renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in blood pressure (BP) regulation during the development of 2-kidney, 1 clip (2K1C) hypertension. Its contributions decrease with time after constriction of the renal artery. During the chronic phase, the peripheral RAS returns to normal, but the hypertension is sustained for months. We hypothesized that in this phase the brain...

ACE inhibitors are extensively used in the treatment of hypertension mainly because of their efficiency in reducing blood pressure levels and decreasing vascular and cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, ACE inhibitors improve baroreceptor reflex control. Chronic inhibition of ACE produces (in addition to decreased angiotensin II levels) a severe increase in angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] levels in ...