HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 294/4/R1220    most recent 00864.2007v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Sullivan, J. C. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sullivan, J. C.

INVITED REVIEW

RENAL HEMODYNAMICS AND CARDIORENAL INTEGRATION

Sex and the renin-angiotensin system: inequality between the sexes in response to RAS stimulation and inhibition

Vascular Biology Center and Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia

The purpose of this review is to examine sex differences in response to stimulation and inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The RAS plays a prominent role in the development of chronic renal disease, and there are known sex differences not only in the expression level of components of the RAS but also in how males and females respond to perturbations of the RAS. In men, renal injury increases in parallel with increased activation of the RAS, while in women, increases in ANG II do not necessarily translate into increases in renal injury. Moreover, both epidemiological and experimental studies have noted sex differences in the therapeutic benefits following angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker treatment. Despite these differences, RAS inhibitors are the most commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of chronic renal disease, irrespective of sex. This review will examine how males and females respond to stimulation and inhibition of the RAS, with a focus on renal disease.

transforming growth factor-β; nuclear factor-B; janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription; angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; angiotensin receptor blocker