Recent developments in the design of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors

Orally-active angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are rapidly establishing themselves in the therapy of hypertension and congestive heart failure. Concerted efforts in a number of laboratories have now led to the discovery or synthesis of an unparalleled variety of potent inhibitors. The manner in which several of these inhibitors bind to ACE is beginning to be understood. It is hoped that some of the insights to be derived from the SAR and structural studies done with ACE inhibitors will be applicable to other enzyme targets as well. The success of ACE inhibitors as pharmacological tools and in the clinic will also quite certainly encourage future efforts to develop new enzyme inhibitor approaches to drug therapy.