BACKGROUND Cardiac fibrosis is considered to be a crucial factor in the development of heart failure. Blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) attenuated cardiac fibrosis and improved the prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure but the ligand for MR and the regulatory mechanism of MR pathway in the diseased heart are unclear. Here, we investigated whether glucocorticoids can pro...

Circulating angiotensin II (Ang II) activates a central aldosterone-mineralocorticoid receptor neuromodulatory pathway, which mediates most of the Ang II-induced hypertension. This study examined whether specific central infusion of Ang II also activates this central aldosterone-mineralocorticoid receptor pathway. Intracerebroventricular infusion of Ang II at 1.0, 2.5, and 12.5 ng/min for 2 wee...

Increasing evidence indicates that aldosterone elicits vascular effects through nongenomic signaling pathways. We tested the hypothesis that aldosterone induces activation of vascular mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and NADPH oxidase via c-Src-dependent mechanisms in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Aldosterone effects on activation of c-Src, p38MAP kinase, and NADPH oxidase, and i...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Pharmacological inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosteron system (RAAS) may reduce proteinuria and the rate of chronic kidney disease progression. The aim was to compare the effects on albuminuria of the therapy with either: (i) telmisartan 80 mg and aliskiren 300 mg, (ii) telmisartan 80 mg and eplerenone 50 mg, (iii) telmisartan 160 mg as monotherapy. DESIGN AND PATIENTS Ran...

Excessive salt intake is known to preferentially increase blood pressure (BP) and promote kidney damage in young, salt-sensitive hypertensive human and animal models. We have suggested that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation plays a major role in kidney injury in young rats. BP and urinary protein were compared in young (3-wk-old) and adult (10-wk-old) uninephrectomized (UNx) Sprague-Da...

Heart failure (HF) remains a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Mineralocorticod receptor (MR) antagonists (spironolactone and eplerenone) have been studied in HF patients and in patients with acute coronary syndrome or post-myocardial infarction and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, as well as hypertensive subjects without HF symptoms. It has suggested that min...

BACKGROUND The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system affects cellular morphology and function in the heart under a variety of pathologic conditions. In the present study the effects of aldosterone on the expression of connexin (Cx) 43 gap junctions in cardiomyocytes were investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS Cultured rat ventricular myocytes were exposed to aldosterone for 24 h. The protein and mR...

Treatment with angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) is the first-line therapy for hypertensive patients with diabetic nephropathy. However, emerging clinical evidence indicates that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockers have blood pressure-independent antiproteinuric effects. We sought to determine whether treatment with an MR blocker, eplerenone, enhances the effects of an ARB, te...