Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is a known factor in angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction (MI). Hypoxia inducible factor-1 (Hif-1α) was recently demonstrated to involve in the tissue fibrosis and influenced by Ang II. However, whether Hif-1α contributed to the Ang II-mediated cardiac fibrosis after MI, and whether interaction or synergetic roles betw...

BACKGROUND Aldosterone has been implicated in the progression of heart failure. The Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT) provided the first opportunity to examine the long-term effects of an angiotensin receptor blocker on plasma aldosterone levels in patients with NYHA class II through IV heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS Plasma aldosterone was measured by radioimmunoassay in core labor...

AIMS In this analysis, we utilized data from PARADIGM-HF to test the hypothesis that participants who exhibited any dose reduction during the trial would have similar benefits from lower doses of sacubitril/valsartan relative to lower doses of enalapril. METHODS AND RESULTS In a post-hoc analysis from PARADIGM-HF, we characterized patients by whether they received the maximal dose (200 mg sac...

The role of angiotensin type 2 receptor (AT(2)R) on vascular responses to angiotensin II in humans remains unclear. In this study we explored whether AT(2)R is expressed and functionally active on peripheral resistance arteries of hypertensive diabetic patients treated for 1 year with either the angiotensin receptor blocker valsartan or the beta-blocker atenolol. Twenty-six hypertensive type 2 ...

The (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR] is implicated in organ pathology. We examined the cellular location of the (P)RR and whether a putative (P)RR antagonist, RILLKKMPSV, corresponding to the handle region of the prorenin prosegment (handle region peptide [HRP]) influences angiogenesis, inflammation, and neuronal and glial function in rat retina. The (P)RR was localized to retinal vessels, endotheli...

OBJECTIVES To compare the effects of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) valsartan versus the calcium channel blocker amlodipine, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation by monocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP), and left ventricular (LV) mass were studied in 104 hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). BACKGROUND There is evidence that ARBs have blood pressure (BP)-inde...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) have been proved to be effective in preventing atrial structural and electrical remodelinq in atrial fibrillation (AF). Previous studies have shown that parasympathetic remodeling plays an important role in AF. However, the effects of ARBs on atrial parasympathetic remodeling in AF and the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. METHODS...

The protective effect of combination therapy with valsartan and aliskiren against renal fibrosis remains to be defined. This study was undertaken to examine the protective effects of the combination of valsartan and aliskiren against renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Combination therapy with valsartan (15 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1)) and aliskiren (10 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1)), va...

A simple high-performance liquid chromatography RP-HPLC and two reproducible ultraviolet spectrophotometric methods were developed and validated for the estimation of nebivolol HCl and valsartan simultaneously in combined pharmaceutical solid dosage form. The wavelength fixed for spectrophotometric measurement of valsartan at 246.6 nm, nebivolol HCl at 280.2 nm for the simultaneous equation and...

Neovascularization is a hallmark feature of retinopathy of prematurity and diabetic retinopathy. Type 1 angiotensin receptor blockade reduces neovascularization in experimental retinopathy of prematurity, known as oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). We investigated in OIR whether inhibiting aldosterone with the aldosterone synthase inhibitor FAD286 reduced neovascularization as effectively as ang...