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Angiotensin II (Ang II) is the most potent pressure agent known to date and is the biologically active peptide of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The proteolytic enzyme renin, synthesized, stored and secreted primarily by the juxtaglomerular cells of the kidneys, cleaves angiotensinogen to produce the decapeptide angiotensin I (Ang I) which is physiologically inactive. Ang I is rapidly cleaved by the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in plasma, vascular endothelial cells, kidney, lung and other tissues, into Ang II, the major active component of the renin-angiotensin cascade10, 11 (see
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