Effect of perindopril on the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in kidney of renal hypertensive rats

Objective To investigate the effect of perindopril on the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2) in kidney of two-kidney and one-clip(2K1C) hypertensive rats.Methods Forty adult male rats were divided into 5 groups:control group,2K1C renal hypertensive rat group,valsartan group,high dose perindopril group and low dose perindopril group.Eight weeks after drug administration,the level of ACE2 mRNA expression was detected with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR), and the distribution and expression of ACE2 in kidney was detected with immunohistochemistry.Plasma angiotensin(Ang)Ⅱ was measured with radioimmunoassay and the ratio of heart and body weight was calculated.Results Both perindopril and valsartan decreased the blood pressure of hypertensive rats significantly(P0.01).The results of RT-PCR and immunhistochemistry showed that the expression of ACE2 in kidney decreased significantly in the 2K1C hypertensive rats compared with control group(P0.05),while perindopril and valsartan could increase the expression of ACE2(P0.05).High dose perindopril decreased the level of renal AngⅡ more markedly than valsartan(P0.01).The ratio of heart and body weight in 2K1C group was higher than other groups except control group.Conclusion The renal expression of ACE2 was down-regulated and the level of AngⅡ increased in 2K1C hypertensive rat.Perindopril and valsartan could increase ACE2 expression in renal tissue along with the decreasing of blood pressure.