What is Angiotensin?

Angiotensin has the effect of contracting blood vessels, stimulating the secretion of epinephrine, and secreting aldosterone. It belongs to a kind of peptide, which plays an important role in regulating body fluid and blood pressure. Once there is a problem with angiotensin, it will inevitably affect the health of the body, leading to blood pressure problems and causing a variety of manifestations.

I. What is Angiotensin? Angiotensin is a kind of peptide that has strong vasoconstriction and stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete aldosterone, participating in the regulation of blood pressure and body fluid. It can be divided into angiotensin I-VII, and currently more research is done on angiotensin I, angiotensin II, and angiotensin III.

II. Main Functions of Angiotensin

1. Angiotensin I can stimulate the adrenal medulla to secrete epinephrine, and its direct vasoconstrictive effect is not obvious;

2. Angiotensin II can cause contraction of small arteries throughout the body and increase blood pressure. In addition, it can also promote the adrenal cortex to secrete aldosterone, which acts on the renal tubules to retain sodium, water, and excrete potassium, leading to an increase in blood volume;

3. Through the cellular Na-Ca channel, it increases the concentration of Ca ions, causing vasoconstriction and thus an increase in blood pressure (some antihypertensive drugs work by antagonizing this effect). The vasoconstrictive effect of angiotensin III is weaker, only 1/5 of angiotensin II, but its effect on promoting aldosterone secretion is stronger than angiotensin II.