Does valsartan attenuate cardiac and renal hypertrophy in rats with experimental cardiorenal syndrome possibly through down-regulating galectin-3 signaling?
Up-regulated galectin-3 signaling might also be involved in the pathogenesis in this CRS model. The beneficial effects of valsartan in terms of attenuating cardiac and renal hypertrophy and reducing 24 hours albumin in this model might partly be mediated through down-regulating galectin-3 signal pathway.
These findings suggest possible association of the functional ACE D allele with altered vascular responses that may modulate development of distinct COPD symptoms. The results are obtained in a limited clinical cohort, and deserve repeated trials in other groups of COPD patients.