Is there a role for the vascular renin-angiotensin system in the determination of vascular structure?

This paper reviews previous work done by my laboratory to investigate the effect of treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on blood pressure and small artery structure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). First, the data confirm that ACE inhibitors have a persistent effect on blood pressure in SHRs when treatment is withdrawn. The effect of the ACE inhibitors was dose-dependent, but the persistent effect was not dose-dependent. This suggests that the persistent effect of ACE inhibitors on blood pressure in SHRs is not mediated through vascular structure. Secondly, the data demonstrate that, although ACE inhibitors have dose-dependent effects on both blood pressure and vascular structure, in experiments where different drugs were used, the effect of ACE inhibitors on vascular structure seems to be explained primarily through their effect on blood pressure, rather than any specific drugs effect.