Inhibition of renin-angiotensin system in experimental acute pancreatitis in rats: a new therapeutic target?
This study not only demonstrated the differential effects of captopril, losartan and L-158809 in acute pancreatitis but also showed that there is still much to investigate about pancreatic renin-angiotensin system. Inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme should be evaluated carefully as a potential new therapeutic target in acute pancreatitis.
Cord blood-derived human cultured mast cells constitutively express mRNA for TGF-beta1 and produce functional TGF-beta1. Because TGF-beta1 has been shown to be highly fibrogenic, these results may highlight a novel role for human mast cells in tissue fibrosis.