Acute Infusion of Synthetic Angiotensin II in Patients with Essential Hypertension

Angiotensin II (1-L-asparaginyl-5-L-valyl angiotensin octapeptide) infused intravenously in subjects with idiopathic hypertension caused depression of the renal hemodynamics in all of them. In agreement with the findings of other investigators, more than one third of the patients showed a decrease in the rate of the sodium excretion; in the remaining subjects, the pressor infusion increased the excretion of sodium.In all the hypertensive patients, angiotensin II favored renal reabsorption of water.From the available evidence, it appears that angiotensin II acts upon the renal tubules. The reason for the opposite effect on sodium excretion in hypertensive patients remains unexplained.