A. Tufromcreddie et al., ANGIOTENSIN-II REGULATES NEPHROGENESIS AND RENAL VASCULAR DEVELOPMENT, American journal of physiology. Renal, fluid and electrolyte physiology, 38(1), 1995, pp. 110-115
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.