What does angiotensin ii do?
Angiotensin II (a hormone) is a vital piece of the complex puzzle that makes up our circulatory system. Here, we will dig into what this compound actually does and why it’s essential to our overall health. From blood pressure regulation to aldosterone production, we’ll cover all the nitty-gritty details about angiotensin II.
But First…
Before delving too deep into angiotensin II’s properties, let’s first understand how this hormone even comes about in the human body.
The Renin-Angiotensin System
The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is responsible for regulating many critical processes in our bodies by maintaining fluid balance and blood pressure levels. In summary, RAS converts an inactive precursor protein called Angiotensinogen (Yes, you read that right!) into its active form — Angiotensin I.
As expected from any complicated biological process in nature, several enzymes are involved along with various intermediates before arriving at the final product – Ang-II!
Entering…The Infamous ‘Ang-II’
Blood Vessel Constrictor
Probably the most significant effect of angII on vasculature is constriction via activation of receptors, leading to atherosclerosis or hypertension. Although some might see this as annoying through those increased-risk-for-heart-failure-lenses; others could argue that it gives us new beach-ready veins for summer swimsuits — silver linings!
To clarify concretely, when your blood vessels contract from excess action from angII – imagine squeezing your drinks bottle – more force needs to be applied driving up your systolic and diastolic values significantly.
Increase Sodium Reabsorption
Did you know? On average each day, kidneys filter around 180l plasma/derived fluid down to just 1.5 liters of urine/discardable waste! This filtration process is what helps regulate electrolyte levels, and angII plays an essential role here.
Ang-II stimulates the reabsorption of sodium and water in your kidneys while conserving potassium as the body primarily uses this metabolic pathway to titrate salt content in plasma.
Aldosterone Production
As mentioned above, aldosterone production increases secondary to action with Ang-II resulting explicitly from that critical renin-angiotensin system.
Aldosterone’s primary function leads us back into those darned kidneys where it promotes sodium retention(Please see How To Make A Dog Swallow A Pill for further elaboration here).
Stimulate ADH (Anti-Diuretic Hormone) Secretion
ADH is a hormone responsible for reducing loss of fluids through urination thus promoting resorption.
By stimulating anti-diuretic hormones’ secretion, (nope, not an alcoholic), Ang II contributes significantly towards helping dehydration amongst other beneficial effects such as maintaining blood pressure levels – talk about going above & beyond!
Wrapping Up…
There you have it! An informative overview explaining comprehensively why we need Ang II (& its breakdown); without any over-generalization that usually keeps anyone reading anything medically-oriented half-asleep after Page 1.(No bias at all here)
Despite its fundamental importance in our circulatory system however, too much or too little Ang-II can lead to several medical issues. So keep things balanced and enjoy healthy fluid levels,& overall homeostasis on this crazy journey called life!