Activation of the alternate renin-angiotensin system correlates with the clinical status in human cirrhosis and corrects post liver transplantation

  • Introduction: Recent animal studies have shown that the alternate renin-angiotensin system (RAS) consisting of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), angiotensin-(1–7) (Ang-(1–7)) and the Mas receptor is upregulated in cirrhosis and contributes to splanchnic vasodilatation and portal hypertension. To determine the potential relevance of these findings to human liver disease, we evaluated its expression and relationship to the patients’ clinical status in subjects with cirrhosis. Methods: Blood sampling from peripheral and central vascular beds was performed intra-operatively for cirrhotic patients at the time of liver transplantation (LT) or trans-jugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedures to measure angiotensin II (Ang II) and Ang-(1–7) peptide levels and ACE and ACE2 enzyme activity. Relevant clinical and hemodynamic data were recorded pre-operatively for all subjects and peripheral blood sampling was repeated 3 months or later post-operatively. Results: Ang-(1–-7) and ACE2 activity were up-regulated more than twofold in cirrhotic subjects both at the time of LT and TIPS and levels returned to comparable levels as control subjects post-transplantation. Ang-(1–7) levels correlated positively with the degree of liver disease severity, as measured by the model for an end-stage liver disease (MELD) and also with clinical parameters of pathological vasodilatation including cardiac output (CO). There were strong correlations found between the ACE2:ACE and the Ang-(1–7):Ang II ratio highlighting the inter-dependence of the alternate and classical arms of the RAS and thus their potential impact on vascular tone. Conclusions: In human cirrhosis, the alternate RAS is markedly upregulated and the activation of this system is associated strongly with features of the hyperdynamic circulation in advanced human cirrhosis.

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Author:Stephen Casey, Robert SchierwagenORCiDGND, Kai Yan Mak, Sabine KleinORCiD, Frank Erhard UschnerORCiDGND, Christian Jansen, Michael PraktiknjoORCiDGND, Carsten Meyer, Daniel Thomas, Chandana Herath, Robert Jones, Jonel TrebickaORCiDGND, Peter Angus
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-515087
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8040419
ISSN:2077-0383
Pubmed Id:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30934723
Parent Title (English):Journal of Clinical Medicine
Publisher:MDPI
Place of publication:Basel
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2019
Date of first Publication:2019/03/27
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2019/10/30
Tag:cirrhosis; portal hypertension; renin-angiotensin system
Volume:8
Issue:4, Art. 419
Page Number:13
First Page:1
Last Page:13
Note:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
HeBIS-PPN:455371660
Institutes:Medizin / Medizin
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0