Dissecting the mechanism of action of the renin angiotensin hormone angiotensin1-9

人体产生特定的荷尔蒙，这些荷尔蒙通过血流传播，并与有助于血管、心脏和肾脏正常功能的受体接触。来自这个系统的主要激素血管紧张素II可能会变得过度活跃，导致心血管疾病的发展，导致高血压，最终导致心脏增大和肾脏损伤。尽管这一点早已为人所知(事实上，血管紧张素II功能的各个方面的抑制剂是一组用于降低患者血压和治疗心力衰竭等疾病的常见药物的靶标)，但这种激素系统功能的核心机制并不完全清楚。荷尔蒙系统在体内有许多不同的角色，这取决于它作用的器官。此外，这种荷尔蒙家族的新成员正在被发现。在这里，我们描述了一种新的激素在这个系统中的作用，血管紧张素1-9。血管紧张素1-9以前被认为是非活性的，但我们有证据支持它是一种活性激素，可以抑制血管紧张素II的作用。因此，血管紧张素1-9可能是心血管疾病的重要治疗靶点。我们希望充分了解这种激素是如何发挥作用的，并将使用一系列技术来实现这一点。

The body produces specific hormones which travel via the bloodstream and engage with receptors which contribute to the normal function of blood vessels, the heart and kidney. The main hormone from this system, angiotensin II, can become overactive and contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, resulting in high blood pressure (hypertension) and finally enlargement of the heart and damage to kidneys. Although this has been known for a long time (in fact inhibitors of various facets of angiotensin II function are the target for a common group of drugs used to lower blood pressure in patients and treat conditions such as heart failure) the central mechanisms for the functioning of this hormone system are not completely understood. The hormone system has many different roles in the body depending upon the organ on which it acts. Also, new members of this hormone family are being discovered. Here we describe a role for a new hormone in this system, angiotensin 1-9. Angiotensin 1-9 was previously thought to be inactive but we have evidence to support it being an active hormone which inhibits angiotensin II actions. Thus angiotensin 1-9 may be an important therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease. We wish to full understand how this hormone functions and will achieve this using a range of techniques.