ANGIOTENSIN-II REGULATES NEPHROGENESIS AND RENAL VASCULAR DEVELOPMENT

To test the hypothesis that angiotensin II (ANG II) is necessary for n ormal embryonic and postnatal kidney development, the effect of angiot ensin receptor blockade or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on nephrovascular development was studied in newborn Sprague-Dawley rats and in Rana catesbeiana tadpoles undergoing prometamorphosis. Blockad e of ANG II type 1 receptor (AT(1)) in newborn rats induced an arrest in nephrovascular maturation and renal growth, resulting in altered ki dney architecture, characterized by fewer, thicker, and shorter affere nt arterioles, reduced glomerular size and number, and tubular dilatat ion. Inhibition of ANG II generation in tadpoles induced even more mar ked developmental renal abnormalities. Blockade of ANG II type 2 recep tor (AT(2)) in newborn rats did not alter renal growth or morphology. Results indicate that ANG II regulates nephrovascular development, a r ole that is conserved across species.