The first renin inhibitor, aliskiren, will soon enter the clinical arena. This review summarizes the potential differences between renin inhibitors and the currently existing blockers of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) [ie, the ACE inhibitors and the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonists], taking also into consideration the recently discovered (pro)renin receptor. This receptor not only activates the inactive precursor of renin, prorenin, but it also exerts direct renin/prorenin-induced effects, independently of angiotensin. The review ends with a brief overview of the available (pre)clinical aliskiren data and a description of its safety profile.

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doi.org/10.1097/FJC.0b013e318070d1d3, hdl.handle.net/1765/35767
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

Danser, J. (2007). Novel drugs targeting hypertension: Renin inhibitors. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology (Vol. 50, pp. 105–111). doi:10.1097/FJC.0b013e318070d1d3