Circhoral Fluctuations of Serum Total Renin, Inhibin and Related Hormones Around the Mid-cycle in Normal Human Females

Total renin and inhibin are secreted by the ovary. Although luteinizing hormone (LH) and/or follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) may stimulate their secretion, the close relationship between fluctuations of gonadotrophins, oestradiol, progesterone, renin and inhibin during the cycle is still conjectural. Tc investigate the temporal relationship between the short-term fluctuations in the circulating concentrations of LH and FSH and the ovarian hormones (oestradiol, progesterone, renin and inhibin), blood samples were collected at 15-min intervals for 6 h from 15 normal women in the late follicular (n = 4), early luteal (n = 5) or luteal (n = 6) phases of the menstrual cycle. LH levels showed the well-known pulsatile secretion with decreasing frequency and increasing relative amplitude from the late follicular to the luteal phase. Progesterone and oestradiol serum levels were pulsatile, 25% and 35-50% of which were linked to LH pulses, with time lags of 30 and 12-15 min respectively. Renin levels presented significant pulses, 26% of which were related to LH pulses with a time lag of < 10 min; no coincidence was found between renin and oestradiol pulses. Inhibin levels presented only scattered pulses of small amplitude, which were unrelated to LH or FSH. These results show that, besides the LH-related pulses, pulsatile secretion of some ovarian hormones (oestradiol, progesterone and renin) may also occur independently of LH pulses and may be unrelated to one another. Moreover, contrary to the other ovarian hormones, inhibin seems to follow a tonic, not a pulsatile type of secretion around the mid-cycle

Down-regulation of the Angiotensin-ii Receptor Subtype At(2) in Human Myometrium During Pregnancy

Samples of human myometrium have been collected during pregnancy and from non-pregnant women. Binding studies revealed the presence of a 50-fold higher density of angiotensin II AT(2) receptor in the non-pregnant state than during gestation. Low levels of the AT(1) receptor subtype (approx. 20 fmol/mg protein) were detected in both pregnant and non-pregnant myometrium. Outside pregnancy, the AT(2) receptor accounted for greater than 95% of all angiotensin receptors, whereas during pregnancy the value dropped to about 40%. The down regulation of the human myometrial AT(2) receptor during pregnancy may be related to the high hormonal content of the environment induced by gestation. The mechanism by which the AT(2) receptor is regulated appears to be different to that of the AT(1) receptor

[Study of Chorion, Placental, Fetal and Maternal Reninangiotensin System and Steroids in the Guinea-pig]

1-degrees) Total renin, active renin, prorenin, angiotensin II, estradiol and progesterone were measured in maternal, placental and fetal blood and in trophoblastic and uterine tissues of the guinea pig. Furthermore, membrane angiotensin II receptors were measured in trophoblastic tissues. 2-degrees) Blood and tissue concentrations of total renin, active renin, angiotensin II and steroids are shown to increase with gestational age. At the full term of pregnancy (70th post-coital day), tissue concentrations of total renin in chorion (23 900 +/- 2 752 ng/g of tissue/h), maternal placenta (14 210 +/- 1 131), fetal placenta (12 475 +/- 927) and uterus (7 677 +/- 798) are 100 time higher than those observed in placental, fetal and maternal blood. Distribution of blood and tissue prorenin (inactive renin) is similar to that found for total renin. Active renin/Total renin ratio reaches 1% in uterine, placental and chorion tissues and 9,3 +/- 1,0% in maternal, placental and fetal blood. 3-degrees) Angiotensin II levels in systemic maternal blood (690 +/- 99 pg/ml) and in uterine blood (467 +/- 84) are higher than those found in placental blood (266 +/- 39) and in different trophoblastic tissues (between 200 and 400 pg/g). Angiotensin II receptor concentrations are highest in chorion. 4-degrees) Regarding the steroid hormones, it is noted that placental and maternal blood contain more progesterone than trophoblastic tissues. The highest concentrations of estradiol are found in chorion tissue and uterine blood. 5-degrees) A positive correlation is observed between angiotensin II and estradiol in uterine blood (r = 0.69, P < 0.01) and in chorion (r = 0.71, P < 0.01). These findings indicate that angiotensin II and estradiol could, by their interactions, play an important role in the physiology of pregnancy

Intrarenal transfer of an intracellular fluorescent fusion of angiotensin II selectively in proximal tubules increases blood pressure in rats and mice

The present study tested the hypothesis that intrarenal adenoviral transfer of an intracellular cyan fluorescent fusion of angiotensin II (ECFP/ANG II) selectively in proximal tubules of the kidney increases blood pressure by activating AT1 (AT1a) receptors. Intrarenal transfer of ECFP/ANG II was induced in the superficial cortex of rat and mouse kidneys, and the sodium and glucose cotransporter 2 (sglt2) promoter was used to drive ECFP/ANG II expression selectively in proximal tubules. Intrarenal transfer of ECFP/ANG II induced a time-dependent, proximal tubule-selective expression of ECFP/ANG II in the cortex, which peaked at 2 wk and was sustained for 4 wk. ECFP/ANG II expression was low in the glomeruli and the entire medulla and was absent in the contralateral kidney or extrarenal tissues. At its peak of expression in proximal tubules at day 14, ANG II was increased by twofold in the kidney (P < 0.01) and more than threefold in proximal tubules (P < 0.01), but remained unchanged in plasma or urine. Systolic blood pressure was increased in ECFP/ANG II-transferred rats by 28 ± 6 mmHg (P < 0.01), whereas fractional sodium excretion was decreased by 20% (P < 0.01) and fractional lithium excretion was reduced by 24% (P < 0.01). These effects were blocked by losartan and prevented in AT1a knockout mice. Transfer of a scrambled ECFP/ANG IIc had no effects on blood pressure, kidney, and proximal tubule ANG II, or sodium excretion. These results provide evidence that proximal tubule-selective transfer of an intracellular ANG II fusion protein increases blood pressure by activating AT1a receptors and increasing sodium reabsorption in proximal tubules