What makes the renin-angiotensin system a pathogenic factor?

Three types of renal hypertension in the rat have been compared with respect to blood pressure increase, activity of the RAS, and secretion of aldosterone and corticosterone: type I - unilateral stenosis of the renal artery in the presence of an intact contralateral kidney; type II - unilateral stenosis of the renal artery after contralateral nephrectomy; type III - bilateral stenosis of the renal arteries. Blood pressure rose more rapidly and reached higher values in type II and type III hypertension than in type I hypertension. In the latter group, the activity of the RAS was more stimulated than in types II and III. The marked stimulation of the RAS in type I hypertension is ascribed to the negative fluid and sodium balance, which is the consequence of a pressure-induced diuresis of the unclamped contralateral kidney. Suppression of the activity of the RAS by a 4-week pretreatment with DOC-TMA and saline or by the administration of DOCA and saline as from the induction of renal artery stenosis did not prevent the development of hypertension caused by the clamping of one renal artery (type I). In spontaneously hypertensive rats of the stroke-prone substrain, high dietary salt intake caused higher blood pressure values and a higher incidence of cerebral lesions than normal dietary salt intake. Low salt intake was followed by a marked stimulation of the RAS, but blood pressure rose only slightly and no symptoms of cerebrovascular lesions were observed. It is concluded that neither in hypertension induced by renal artery stenosis nor in spontaneously hypertensive rats, the RAS contributes significantly to the increase in blood pressure nor does it play a major part in the pathogenesis of vascular lesions. These seem to be related to the retention of sodium, which may be obtained by renal artery stenosis, by excessive salt intake, or by the administration of a mineralocorticoid and salt.