Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Receptor Autoradiography Protocol for the Localized Visualization of Angiotensin II Receptors
Published on: June 7, 2016
Ongoing trials of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition: what they can tell us
1Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia. chalmers@iih.usyd.edu.au
Insights
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors significantly lower cardiovascular risks in patients with heart failure and after heart attacks. Emerging evidence also shows benefits for hypertension, especially with diabetes or post-infarction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are established treatments for heart failure and myocardial infarction.
- Evidence for ACE inhibitors in hypertension is growing, particularly in high-risk patients like those with diabetes or post-infarction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence for ACE inhibitors in cardiovascular disease.
- To categorize ongoing trials of blood pressure lowering with ACE inhibitors.
- To highlight the Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS) as a model for future research.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing clinical trial data.
- Categorization of ongoing blood pressure lowering trials using ACE inhibitors.
- Focus on trials involving high-risk cardiac event patients, such as the PROGRESS trial.
Main Results:
- ACE inhibitors reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in heart failure and myocardial infarction.
- Benefits are increasingly recognized in hypertensive patients, especially those with comorbidities.
- Ongoing trials investigate comparative effectiveness, BP targets, and high-risk populations.
Conclusions:
- ACE inhibitors are crucial for managing cardiovascular conditions.
- Further research, exemplified by the PROGRESS trial, is vital for understanding their role across diverse BP levels and patient groups.
Abstract:
Abundant evidence has accumulated showing that angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce long-term cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates in patients with heart failure and myocardial infarction. Fewer completed trials have assessed their potential benefits in this regard in hypertensive subjects, but evidence of benefit is beginning to accrue from studies examining patients with hypertension, particularly in the presence of diabetes and after infarction. Ongoing trials of blood pressure (BP) lowering using ACE inhibition fall into three main categories: 1) those comparing ACE inhibitors with older drugs such as diuretics and beta blockers; 2) those examining more aggressive versus less aggressive lowering of BP; and 3) those investigating BP lowering in patients at high risk for a cardiac event. Among those in the last group is the Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS), which examines the effects of perindopril-based ACE inhibitor therapy in both normotensive and hypertensive patients who have survived a stroke. This trial is particularly important because it serves as a model for studies of BP lowering across a wide range of BP and BP-related conditions.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
01:30Antihypertensive Drugs: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
01:30Antihypertensive Drugs: Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers
01:25Antihypertensive Drugs: Direct Renin Inhibitors
01:26Heart Failure Drugs: Inhibitors of Renin-Angiotensin System
01:18Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Endothelin Receptor Antagonists
ETs are synthesized through a complex sequence of enzymatic steps, primarily involving an enzyme referred to as endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE). Of...