Shah A, Oh YB, Lee SH, Lim JM, Kim SH. Angiotensin-(1-7) attenuates hypertension in exercise-trained renal hypertensive rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 302: H2372-H2380, 2012. First published March 30, 2012 doi:10.1152 doi:10. /ajpheart.00846.2011 [ANG-(1-7)] plays a counterregulatory role to angiotensin II in the renin-angiotensin system. In trained spontaneous hypertensive rats, Mas expression and protein are upregulated in ventricular tissue. Therefore, we examined the role of ANG-(1-7) on cardiac hemodynamics, cardiac functions, and cardiac remodeling in trained two-kidney one-clip hypertensive (2K1C) rats. For this purpose, rats were divided into sedentary and trained groups. Each group consists of sham and 2K1C rats with and without ANG-(1-7) infusion. Swimming training was performed for 1 h/day, 5 days/wk for 4 wk following 1 wk of swimming training for acclimatization. 2K1C rats showed moderate hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy without changing left ventricular function. Chronic infusion of ANG-(1-7) attenuated hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy only in trained 2K1C rats but not in sedentary 2K1C rats. Chronic ANG-(1-7) treatment significantly attenuated increases in myocyte diameter and cardiac fibrosis induced by hypertension in only trained 2K1C rats. The Mas receptor, ANG II type 2 receptor protein, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation in ventricles were upregulated in trained 2K1C rats. In conclusion, chronic infusion of ANG-(1-7) attenuates hypertension in trained 2K1C rats. swimming exercise training; atrial natriuretic peptide; cardiac hypertrophy; Mas receptor THE NEWLY DISCOVERED renin-angiotensin system (RAS) axisangiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)/angiotensin-(1-7) [ANG-(1-7)]/Mas receptor, coined as a counteregulatory axis to ACE/ANG II/angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT 1 R), is considered as an important core factor in cardiovascular pathophysiology (8, 16). ACE2 metabolizes ANG II into ANG-(1-7), one of the major pathways for ANG-(1-7) production among others (8,11,16,19). The action of ANG-(1-7) includes vasorelaxation (46, 49), antihypertension (48, 55), antihypertrophy (25,36,52), and antifibrosis (20, 25), which are opposite to ANG II actions. At the receptor level, Mas receptor can hetero-oligomerize with AT 1 R and by so doing inhibit the actions of ANG II (31). Chronic or acute infusion of ANG-(1-7) has been shown to decrease blood pressure (BP) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR; Refs. 2, 40) and high fructose diet-fed rats (20). Chronic infusion of Mas receptor antagonist or treatment with the ACE2 inhibitor worsens the course of hypertension accompanied with a decreased renal hemodynamics (5). Both Mas receptor and ACE2 knockout animals show an impaired cardiac function (22,50,55), and cardiovascular symptoms during cardiovascular pathophysiology are more aggravated in these animals (7,28,44). In contrast, ANG-(1-7) does not prevent hypertension induced by ANG II infusion (9, 21) and in two-kidney, one-clipped (2K1C) hypertension (5). Th...