TISSUE ANGIOTENSIN GENERATION AND REGULATION OF VASCULAR TONE

The renin-angiotensin system is intimately involved in the control of sodium and water balance, the activity of the sympathetic nervous syst em, mitogenesis and the regulation of vascular tone. There is evidence that many of these effects may be controlled at a local,level by inde pendent tissue renin-angiotensin systems. Drugs that are specific inhi bitors of the cascade have proved powerful tools for dissecting the ph ysiology of the renin-angiotensin system, and are of major benefit in the treatment of hypertension and chronic heart failure. Recent eviden ce suggests that variations in the genes coding for components of the system may affect the risk of developing hypertension and ischaemic he art disease.