|
|
||||||||
Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A1
We examined the effect of oral contraceptive (OC) usage on the renin angiotensin system (RAS) in two related experiments. In the first experiment, subjects were 34 healthy, normotensive, premenopausal women, 15 OC users and 19 OC nonusers, mean age 25 ± 1 yr, ingesting a controlled sodium diet. We assessed arterial pressure, glomerular filtration rate, effective renal plasma flow, renal vascular resistance (RVR), and filtration fraction (FF) using inulin and p-aminohippurate clearance techniques, both at baseline and in response to the ANG II receptor blocker losartan. In the second experiment, in similar subjects, 10 OC users and 10 nonusers, we examined circulating RAS components [angiotensinogen, ANG II, aldosterone, plasma renin activity (PRA), and active renin] in response to incremental lower body negative pressure (LBNP), to determine whether renin secretion is suppressed by OC usage. OC users exhibited elevations in systolic blood pressure, RVR, and FF compared with nonusers, which were partially corrected by losartan. In the LBNP phase of the study, baseline measures of PRA, angiotensinogen, ANG II, and aldosterone were all increased in the OC group compared with the control group. Active renin levels did not differ between groups. Incremental LBNP resulted in increased circulating levels of RAS components in both groups. We conclude that the RAS is activated in women using OCs. There was no evidence that decreases in renin secretion result in normalization of the RAS as a whole.
angiotensin II; losartan; arterial blood pressure; filtration fraction; lower body negative pressure
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
S. T. Sims, N. J. Rehrer, M. L. Bell, and J. D. Cotter Endogenous and exogenous female sex hormones and renal electrolyte handling: effects of an acute sodium load on plasma volume at rest J Appl Physiol, July 1, 2008; 105(1): 121 - 127. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
I. Kuipers, P. van der Harst, G. Navis, L. van Genne, F. Morello, W. H. van Gilst, D. J. van Veldhuisen, and R. A. de Boer Nuclear Hormone Receptors as Regulators of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Hypertension, June 1, 2008; 51(6): 1442 - 1448. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Z. I. Cherney, J. W. Scholey, D. C. Cattran, A. K. Kang, J. Zimpelmann, C. Kennedy, V. Lai, K. D. Burns, and J. A. Miller The effect of oral contraceptives on the nitric oxide system and renal function Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, November 1, 2007; 293(5): F1539 - F1544. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. T. Sims, N. J. Rehrer, M. L. Bell, and J. D. Cotter Preexercise sodium loading aids fluid balance and endurance for women exercising in the heat J Appl Physiol, August 1, 2007; 103(2): 534 - 541. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. B. Ahmed, P. Hovind, H.-H. Parving, P. Rossing, D. A. Price, L. M. Laffel, M. C. Lansang, R. Stevanovic, N. D.L. Fisher, and N. K. Hollenberg Oral Contraceptives, Angiotensin-Dependent Renal Vasoconstriction, and Risk of Diabetic Nephropathy Diabetes Care, August 1, 2005; 28(8): 1988 - 1994. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Q. Fu, S. Witkowski, K. Okazaki, and B. D. Levine Effects of gender and hypovolemia on sympathetic neural responses to orthostatic stress Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, July 1, 2005; 289(1): R109 - R116. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. J. Harvey, B. L. Morris, J. A. Miller, and J. S. Floras Estradiol Induces Discordant Angiotensin and Blood Pressure Responses to Orthostasis in Healthy Postmenopausal Women Hypertension, March 1, 2005; 45(3): 399 - 405. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. H. Lane Diabetic kidney disease: impact of puberty Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, October 1, 2002; 283(4): F589 - F600. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Chidambaram, J. A. Duncan, V. S. Lai, D. C. Cattran, J. S. Floras, J. W. Scholey, and J. A. Miller Variation in the Renin Angiotensin System throughout the Normal Menstrual Cycle J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., February 1, 2002; 13(2): 446 - 452. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |