In search of hypertensive mechanisms : use of pharmacological probes

Over the past decade, a great deal of clinical research of our group has been directed toward two major areas of the pathophysiology of hypertension: (1) the significance of the renin-angiotensin system; and (2) the role of serotonin. Serotonin was identified by Irvin Page as, in his words, a "nuisance factor" interfering with his attempt to isolate and identify angiotensin II,in which he fortunately succeeded. The first part of this thesis deals with clinical aspects of Page's second moiety, angiotensin II, and the enzymatic cascade involved in its formation. The second part of the thesis entertains the idea that the "nuisance factor" serotonin deserves more clinical attention than it had enjoyed in the past