[Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system : brief history and questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic]

The breakthrough of the secrets of hypertension and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is one of the legends of medicine. The first chapter is the one of Tigerstedt's experiments about renin, and Loesch and Gollblatt's model of renal hypertension. The race to elucidate the mechanisms of angiotensin, angiotensinogen and the angiotensin conversion enzyme cascade, by Braun Menéndez and Page teams, is a second chapter. The puzzle of this elegant cascade is completed by aldosterone isolation by the collaboration of Tait spouses and Tadeus Rechstein. As a corollary of these findings, Conn made the first description of primary hyperaldosteronism. The elucidation of RAAS pathophysiology naturally led to the synthesis of the antihypertensive captopril by Ondetti and Cushman, thereby opening the modern era of ACE inhibitors and ARII blockers. In March 2020, a viral pandemic caused by SARS-Cov-2 ignites the entire planet. This new coronavirus uses the RAAS angiotensin conversion enzyme type 2 (ACE-2) as a gateway. The SARS-CoV-2/ACE-2 signalling pathway and its pathological effects on the cardio-respiratory and renal system of these patients initiate a new chapter. The interaction of SARS-Cov-2/ACE-2 axis with anti-hypertensive agents, as well as with ACE-2 activators and ACE-2 homologs, takes a part of an active international study searching for therapeutic targets. This modern research, summarized in this article, will further develop our knowledge of RAAS and, hopefully, will improve the management of COVID-19 patients.