The renin-angiotensin system: new insight into old therapies.

Although the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is already an old acquaintance, there are often exciting discoveries that improve our knowledge of it and open new therapeutic possibilities. Moreover, well-established drugs, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor bl...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ramírez-Sánchez, Manuel, Prieto-Gómez, María Isabel, Wangensteen, Rosemary, Banegas, Inmaculada, Segarra, Ana Belén, Villarejo, Ana Belén, Vives, Francisco, Cobo-Domingo, Justo, de-Gasparo, Marc
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Jaén
Repositorio:RUJA. Repositorio Institucional de la Producción Científica de la Universidad de Jaén
OAI Identifier:oai:ruja.ujaen.es:10953/1886
Acceso en línea:https://www.eurekaselect.com/article/49762
https://hdl.handle.net/10953/1886
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Renin-angiotensin system
Angiotensinases
Angiotensin-converting enzyme
Inhibitors angiotensin receptor
Beta-blockers
Brain asymmetry
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Descripción
Sumario:Although the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is already an old acquaintance, there are often exciting discoveries that improve our knowledge of it and open new therapeutic possibilities. Moreover, well-established drugs, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), or beta-blockers, show that their mechanism of action may be the result of parallel pathways other than the ones initially established. A detailed analysis of the RAS can be carried out in part through the study of the enzymes, named angiotensinases, involved in its cascade, whose activity is a reflection of the functionality of their peptide substrates. The study of these enzymes offers the possibility of controlling the effects of angiotensins through various pharmacological manipulations. For example, angiotensinase inhibitors or activators are being used or have been proposed as antihypertensive agents. They have also been suggested as analgesic and antidepressant drugs or targets for drug development against different pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy or ischemia. On the other hand, the analysis of brain asymmetry has revealed surprising results about the laterality of central and peripheral components of the RAS. Such studies indicate that the neurovisceral integration, already proposed by Claude Bernard (1867) should also be analyzed from a bilateral perspective. In this review, the RAS and the role of various angiotensinases implicated in the cascade are revisited. Therapeutic strategies involving some components of the RAS with an unusual vision resulting from a bilateral perspective added to their study are discussed.