O uso de esteróide anabolizante é cada vez maior por pessoas que praticam exercícios como forma de lazer, sem se importarem com os possíveis efeitos colaterais, o que vem se tornando um importante problema de saúde pública. Dentre os seus principais efeitos colaterais, destacamos a hipertrofia cardíaca, que parece ser ainda mais pronunciada quando associado ao treinamento físico, sendo esta relacionada a maior atividade da enzima conversora de angiotensina cardíaca. Tendo em vista esse cenário, o presente trabalho visa verificar a participação do sistema renina angiotensina aldosterona sobre a hipertrofia cardíaca e síntese de colágeno induzida pelo esteróide anabolizante, associado ao treinamento físico por natação em ratos, por meio do bloqueio de receptores AT1 com Losartan e dos receptores de mineralocorticóides com Espironolactona. Resultados mostram que a administração de esteróide anabolizante aumenta a ativação do sistema renina angiotensina aldosterona cardíaco, o qual está diretamente relacionado aos seus efeitos colaterais, visto que o bloqueio dos receptores AT1 ou dos RM inibiu esses efeitos. Sendo mostrado pela primeira vez, os efeitos do esteróide anabolizante sobre o aumento na expressão do gene da aldosterona sintase e da enzima 11-HSD2, sugerindo os efeitos dos esteróides anabolizantes sobre o aumento da síntese e atividade da aldosterona cardíaca / The anabolic steroid use is growing by recreational exercise practitioners, without worried about the possible collateral effects, becoming an important problem of public health. Among its deleterious effects we detach the cardiac hypertrophy, that looks to be still bigger when the swimming training was associated, being is related to bigger activity of the cardiac angiotensin converter enzime. With that, the present work is going to verify the renin angiotensin aldosteron system participation about the cardiac hypertrophy and collagen synthesis prompted by the anabolic steroid and the association with the swimming training in rat by means of the AT1 receivers blockade with Losartan and of the mineralocorticoids receivers blockade with Espironolacton. Our results show that the anabolic steroid administration increased the cardiac rennin angiotensin aldosteron system activity, that is straightly related to its deleterious effects, seen that the AT1 receivers blockade or the mineracorticoids receivers blockade inhibited those effects. Being shown by the first time the anabolic steroids effects about the increase of the aldosterone sintase gene expression and of the 11-HSD2 enzyme, suggesting the anabolic steroids effects about the cardiac aldosterone synthesis and activity increase

Myocardial damage is one of the most serious consequences of arterial hypertension. Changes in the heart structure and function develop not only due to pressure overload itself, but many other hemodynamic and neurohumoral factors contribute to their formation. Our work has compared echocardiohraphic strucutural anf functional changes of the left ventricle, caused by essential hypertension and hypertension associated with primary aldosteronism (PA) as the most common reason for secondary hypertension. The first part of our work focused on the differences in left ventricle geometry in men with PA and essential hypertension after separating it's low-renin form (where, similarly to PA, the plasma volume expansion was considered to have the dominant effect on left ventricle remodelation). In men with low-renin forms of hypertension including PA, we observed greater both endsystolic and enddiastolic diameter of the left ventricle, lower relative wall thickness and more frequent eccentric type of hypertrophy when compared to essential hypertensives with normal renin levels. Whereas left ventricle cavity diameters were positively correlated to aldosterone levels, wall thicknesses were associated mainly with hypertension severity expressed as an average 24hour blood pressure and number of antihypertensives....

O uso de esteróide anabolizante é cada vez maior por pessoas que praticam exercícios como forma de lazer, sem se importarem com os possíveis efeitos colaterais, o que vem se tornando um importante problema de saúde pública. Dentre os seus principais efeitos colaterais, destacamos a hipertrofia cardíaca, que parece ser ainda mais pronunciada quando associado ao treinamento físico, sendo esta relacionada a maior atividade da enzima conversora de angiotensina cardíaca. Tendo em vista esse cenário, o presente trabalho visa verificar a participação do sistema renina angiotensina aldosterona sobre a hipertrofia cardíaca e síntese de colágeno induzida pelo esteróide anabolizante, associado ao treinamento físico por natação em ratos, por meio do bloqueio de receptores AT1 com Losartan e dos receptores de mineralocorticóides com Espironolactona. Resultados mostram que a administração de esteróide anabolizante aumenta a ativação do sistema renina angiotensina aldosterona cardíaco, o qual está diretamente relacionado aos seus efeitos colaterais, visto que o bloqueio dos receptores AT1 ou dos RM inibiu esses efeitos. Sendo mostrado pela primeira vez, os efeitos do esteróide anabolizante sobre o aumento na expressão do gene da aldosterona sintase e da enzima 11-HSD2, sugerindo os efeitos dos esteróides anabolizantes sobre o aumento da síntese e atividade da aldosterona cardíaca / The anabolic steroid use is growing by recreational exercise practitioners, without worried about the possible collateral effects, becoming an important problem of public health. Among its deleterious effects we detach the cardiac hypertrophy, that looks to be still bigger when the swimming training was associated, being is related to bigger activity of the cardiac angiotensin converter enzime. With that, the present work is going to verify the renin angiotensin aldosteron system participation about the cardiac hypertrophy and collagen synthesis prompted by the anabolic steroid and the association with the swimming training in rat by means of the AT1 receivers blockade with Losartan and of the mineralocorticoids receivers blockade with Espironolacton. Our results show that the anabolic steroid administration increased the cardiac rennin angiotensin aldosteron system activity, that is straightly related to its deleterious effects, seen that the AT1 receivers blockade or the mineracorticoids receivers blockade inhibited those effects. Being shown by the first time the anabolic steroids effects about the increase of the aldosterone sintase gene expression and of the 11-HSD2 enzyme, suggesting the anabolic steroids effects about the cardiac aldosterone synthesis and activity increase

Myocardial damage is one of the most serious consequences of arterial hypertension. Changes in the heart structure and function develop not only due to pressure overload itself, but many other hemodynamic and neurohumoral factors contribute to their formation. Our work has compared echocardiohraphic strucutural anf functional changes of the left ventricle, caused by essential hypertension and hypertension associated with primary aldosteronism (PA) as the most common reason for secondary hypertension. The first part of our work focused on the differences in left ventricle geometry in men with PA and essential hypertension after separating it's low-renin form (where, similarly to PA, the plasma volume expansion was considered to have the dominant effect on left ventricle remodelation). In men with low-renin forms of hypertension including PA, we observed greater both endsystolic and enddiastolic diameter of the left ventricle, lower relative wall thickness and more frequent eccentric type of hypertrophy when compared to essential hypertensives with normal renin levels. Whereas left ventricle cavity diameters were positively correlated to aldosterone levels, wall thicknesses were associated mainly with hypertension severity expressed as an average 24hour blood pressure and number of antihypertensives....

<p>Tulbaghia violacea Harv. (Alliaceae) is a small bulbous herb which belongs to the family, Alliaceae, most commonly associated with onions and garlic. In South Africa (SA), this&nbsp / herb has been traditionally used in the treatment of various ailments, including fever, colds, asthma, paralysis, hypertension (HTN) and stomach problems. The aim of this study&nbsp / was to evaluate the effect of methanol leaf extracts (MLE) of T. violacea on the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in anaesthetized male spontaneously hypertensive rats / &nbsp / and to find out the mechanism(s) by which it acts. The MLE of T. violacea (5 - 150 mg/kg), angiotensin I (ang I, 3.1 - 100 &mu / g/kg), captopril (10 mg/kg), angiotensin II (ang II, 3.1 - 50&nbsp / g/kg), losartan (30 mg/kg), phenylephrine (0.01 &ndash / 0.16 mg/kg), prazosin (1 mg/kg), dobutamine (0.2 &ndash / 10.0 &mu / g/kg), propranolol (0.1 - 12.8 mg/kg), muscarine (0.16 -10 &mu / g/kg),&nbsp / and atropine (0.02 - 20.48 mg/kg) were administered intravenously into male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) weighing between 300 g and 350 g and aged less than 5&nbsp / months. The MLE of T. violacea and/or the standard drugs were infused alone, simultaneously, or separately into each animal. The BP and HR were measured via a pressure&nbsp / transducer connecting the femoral artery and the Powerlab. The vehicle (0.2 mls of a mixture of dimethylsulfoxide and normal saline), T. violacea (60 mg/kg) and captopril (10&nbsp / mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally into some SHR for 21 days to investigate the chronic effect of these agents on plasma levels of aldosterone. The mean change, the mean&nbsp / of the individual percentage changes and the percentage difference (in mean) observed with each intervention was calculated and statistically analyzed using the Student&rsquo / s t test&nbsp / for significant difference (p &lt / 0.05). The Microsoft Excel software was used for statistical analysis. T. violacea significantly (p &lt / 0.05) reduced the systolic, diastolic, and mean&nbsp / arterial BP / and HR dose-dependently. In a dose-dependent manner, ang I, ang II, phenylephrine significantly (p &lt / 0.05) increased the BP, while propranolol, muscarine and&nbsp / atropine reduced the BP. The increases in BP due to dobutamine were not dose-dependent. In a dose dependent manner, phenylephrine and propranolol reduced the HR, while dobutamine increased the HR. The effect of ang I, ang II, muscarine and atropine on HR were not dose-dependent / with both increases as well as decreases observed with ang&nbsp / I, and II and atropine, while decreases were seen with muscarine. Captopril produced&nbsp / significant (p &lt / 0.05) reduction in BP which were not associated with any change in HR. The co-infusion of ang I with the MLE produced significant (p &lt / 0.05) reduction in BP, which were not associated with significant changes in HR. The co-infusion of ang II with the&nbsp / MLE did not produce any significant changes in BP or HR when compared to the infusion of the standard drug alone. The co-infusion of phenylephrine with the MLE did not&nbsp / produce any significant change in BP or HR when compared to the values obtained with the infusion of the standard drug alone, in both the absence and presence of prazosin.&nbsp / The co-infusion of dobutamine with T. violacea produced siginificant (p &lt / 0.05) increases in DBP which were associated with significant (p &lt / 0.05) reductions in HR, when&nbsp / compared to the values obtained with the infusion of the standard drug alone. Theco-infusion of atropine with the MLE did not produce any significant change in BP or HR when&nbsp / compared to the values obtained with the infusion of atropine alone. However, the infusion of T. violacea, 20 minutes after pre-treating animals with atropine (5.12 mg/kg) lead to&nbsp / dose dependent significant (p &lt / 0.05) increases in BP, which were associated with dose-dependent increases in HR. The chronic treatment of animals with T. violacea or&nbsp / captropril produced (a) signicant (p &lt / 0.05) reductions in the plasma levels of aldosterone when compared to the values obtained in the vehicle-treated group, (b) produced&nbsp / signifiant (p &lt / 0.05) reduction in BP in the captopril treated group when compared to the vehicle-treated, (c) did not produce any signficant change in BP in the T. violacea-treated&nbsp / group when compared to the vehicle-treated group and (d) did not produce any signifiant change in HR or body weight in any of the groups. The result obtained in this study&nbsp / suggests that T. violacea reduced BP and HR in the SHR. Secondly, the BP and HR reducing effect of the MLE may involve a) the inhibition of the ACE, b) the inhibition of the &beta / 1&nbsp / adrenoceptors, c) the stimulation of the muscarinic receptors and d) the reduction of the levels of aldosternone in plasma. The results also&nbsp / suggest that the MLE may not act&nbsp / through the angiotensin II receptors or the &alpha / 1 adrenergic receptors.&nbsp / </p>

<p>Tulbaghia violacea Harv. (Alliaceae) is a small bulbous herb which belongs to the family, Alliaceae, most commonly associated with onions and garlic. In South Africa (SA), this&nbsp / herb has been traditionally used in the treatment of various ailments, including fever, colds, asthma, paralysis, hypertension (HTN) and stomach problems. The aim of this study&nbsp / was to evaluate the effect of methanol leaf extracts (MLE) of T. violacea on the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in anaesthetized male spontaneously hypertensive rats / &nbsp / and to find out the mechanism(s) by which it acts. The MLE of T. violacea (5 - 150 mg/kg), angiotensin I (ang I, 3.1 - 100 &mu / g/kg), captopril (10 mg/kg), angiotensin II (ang II, 3.1 - 50&nbsp / g/kg), losartan (30 mg/kg), phenylephrine (0.01 &ndash / 0.16 mg/kg), prazosin (1 mg/kg), dobutamine (0.2 &ndash / 10.0 &mu / g/kg), propranolol (0.1 - 12.8 mg/kg), muscarine (0.16 -10 &mu / g/kg),&nbsp / and atropine (0.02 - 20.48 mg/kg) were administered intravenously into male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) weighing between 300 g and 350 g and aged less than 5&nbsp / months. The MLE of T. violacea and/or the standard drugs were infused alone, simultaneously, or separately into each animal. The BP and HR were measured via a pressure&nbsp / transducer connecting the femoral artery and the Powerlab. The vehicle (0.2 mls of a mixture of dimethylsulfoxide and normal saline), T. violacea (60 mg/kg) and captopril (10&nbsp / mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally into some SHR for 21 days to investigate the chronic effect of these agents on plasma levels of aldosterone. The mean change, the mean&nbsp / of the individual percentage changes and the percentage difference (in mean) observed with each intervention was calculated and statistically analyzed using the Student&rsquo / s t test&nbsp / for significant difference (p &lt / 0.05). The Microsoft Excel software was used for statistical analysis. T. violacea significantly (p &lt / 0.05) reduced the systolic, diastolic, and mean&nbsp / arterial BP / and HR dose-dependently. In a dose-dependent manner, ang I, ang II, phenylephrine significantly (p &lt / 0.05) increased the BP, while propranolol, muscarine and&nbsp / atropine reduced the BP. The increases in BP due to dobutamine were not dose-dependent. In a dose dependent manner, phenylephrine and propranolol reduced the HR, while dobutamine increased the HR. The effect of ang I, ang II, muscarine and atropine on HR were not dose-dependent / with both increases as well as decreases observed with ang&nbsp / I, and II and atropine, while decreases were seen with muscarine. Captopril produced&nbsp / significant (p &lt / 0.05) reduction in BP which were not associated with any change in HR. The co-infusion of ang I with the MLE produced significant (p &lt / 0.05) reduction in BP, which were not associated with significant changes in HR. The co-infusion of ang II with the&nbsp / MLE did not produce any significant changes in BP or HR when compared to the infusion of the standard drug alone. The co-infusion of phenylephrine with the MLE did not&nbsp / produce any significant change in BP or HR when compared to the values obtained with the infusion of the standard drug alone, in both the absence and presence of prazosin.&nbsp / The co-infusion of dobutamine with T. violacea produced siginificant (p &lt / 0.05) increases in DBP which were associated with significant (p &lt / 0.05) reductions in HR, when&nbsp / compared to the values obtained with the infusion of the standard drug alone. Theco-infusion of atropine with the MLE did not produce any significant change in BP or HR when&nbsp / compared to the values obtained with the infusion of atropine alone. However, the infusion of T. violacea, 20 minutes after pre-treating animals with atropine (5.12 mg/kg) lead to&nbsp / dose dependent significant (p &lt / 0.05) increases in BP, which were associated with dose-dependent increases in HR. The chronic treatment of animals with T. violacea or&nbsp / captropril produced (a) signicant (p &lt / 0.05) reductions in the plasma levels of aldosterone when compared to the values obtained in the vehicle-treated group, (b) produced&nbsp / signifiant (p &lt / 0.05) reduction in BP in the captopril treated group when compared to the vehicle-treated, (c) did not produce any signficant change in BP in the T. violacea-treated&nbsp / group when compared to the vehicle-treated group and (d) did not produce any signifiant change in HR or body weight in any of the groups. The result obtained in this study&nbsp / suggests that T. violacea reduced BP and HR in the SHR. Secondly, the BP and HR reducing effect of the MLE may involve a) the inhibition of the ACE, b) the inhibition of the &beta / 1&nbsp / adrenoceptors, c) the stimulation of the muscarinic receptors and d) the reduction of the levels of aldosternone in plasma. The results also&nbsp / suggest that the MLE may not act&nbsp / through the angiotensin II receptors or the &alpha / 1 adrenergic receptors.&nbsp / </p>

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) disease, and patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) - the most common endocrine cause of hypertension - have a higher incidence of CV complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of metabolic differences and organ complications - kidney, heart and blood vessels damage in patients with essential hypertension (EH), PA and its most common forms - idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA) and aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA). We found a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome and a higher incidence of metabolic abnormalities in IHA compared to APA - higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome, higher levels of triglycerides and lower levels of HDL cholesterol and thereby a higher cardiometabolic risk. Metabolic profile of patients with IHA is similar to EH in contrast to APA. Arterial stiffness was expressed as pulse wave velocity (PWV), in central arteries as carotid-femoral PWV and at peripheral level as femoral-ankle PWV. Patients with PA with comparable levels of blood pressure (BP) have higher stiffness of central elastic and peripheral muscular arteries than patients with EH. The main predictor of impaired peripheral arterial stiffness is the plasma aldosterone level. Patients with IHA have higher central arterial...

Doctor Pharmaceuticae - DPharm / Tulbaghia violacea Harv. (Alliaceae) is a small bulbous herb which belongs to the family, Alliaceae, most commonly associated with onions and garlic. In South Africa (SA), this herb has been traditionally used in the treatment of various ailments, including fever, colds, asthma, paralysis, hypertension (HTN) and stomach problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methanol leaf extracts (MLE) of T. violacea on the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in anaesthetized male spontaneously hypertensive rats and to find out the mechanism(s) by which it acts. The MLE of T. violacea (5 - 150 mg/kg), angiotensin I (ang I, 3.1 - 100 mg/kg), captopril (10 mg/kg), angiotensin II (ang II, 3.1 - 50 g/kg), losartan (30 mg/kg), phenylephrine (0.01 ; 0.16 mg/kg), prazosin (1 mg/kg), dobutamine (0.2 ; 10.0mg/kg), propranolol (0.1 - 12.8 mg/kg), muscarine (0.16 -10 mg/kg), and atropine (0.02 - 20.48 mg/kg) were administered intravenously into male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) weighing between 300 g and 350 g and aged less than 5; months. The MLE of T. violacea and/or the standard drugs were infused alone, simultaneously, or separately into each animal. The BP and HR were measured via a pressure transducer connecting the femoral artery and the Powerlab. The vehicle (0.2 mls of a mixture of dimethylsulfoxide and normal saline), T. violacea (60 mg/kg) and captopril (10 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally into some SHR for 21 days to investigate the chronic effect of these agents on plasma levels of aldosterone. The mean change, the mean of the individual percentage changes and the percentage difference (in mean) observed with each intervention was calculated and statistically analyzed using the Student t test for significant difference (p < 0.05). The Microsoft Excel software was used for statistical analysis. T. violacea significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP; and HR dose-dependently. In a dose-dependent manner, ang I, ang II, phenylephrine significantly (p < 0.05) increased the BP, while propranolol, muscarine and atropine reduced the BP. The increases in BP due to dobutamine were not dose-dependent. In a dose dependent manner, phenylephrine and propranolol reduced the HR, while dobutamine increased the HR. The effect of ang I, ang II, muscarine and atropine on HR were not dose-dependent; with both increases as well as decreases observed with ang I, and II and atropine, while decreases were seen with muscarine. Captopril produced significant (p < 0.05) reduction in BP which were not associated with any change in HR. The co-infusion of ang I with the MLE produced significant (p < 0.05) reduction in BP, which were not associated with significant changes in HR. The co-infusion of ang II with the MLE did not produce any significant changes in BP or HR when compared to the infusion of the standard drug alone. The co-infusion of phenylephrine with the MLE did not produce any significant change in BP or HR when compared to the values obtained with the infusion of the standard drug alone, in both the absence and presence of prazosin. The co-infusion of dobutamine with T. violacea produced siginificant (p < 0.05) increases in DBP which were associated with significant (p < 0.05) reductions in HR, when compared to the values obtained with the infusion of the standard drug alone. Theco-infusion of atropine with the MLE did not produce any significant change in BP or HR when compared to the values obtained with the infusion of atropine alone. However, the infusion of T. violacea, 20 minutes after pre-treating animals with atropine (5.12 mg/kg) lead to dose dependent significant (p< 0.05) increases in BP, which were associated with dose-dependent increases in HR. The chronic treatment of animals with T. violacea or captropril produced (a) signicant (p < 0.05) reductions in the plasma levels of aldosterone when compared to the values obtained in the vehicle-treated group, (b) produced signifiant (p< 0.05) reduction in BP in the captopril treated group when compared to the vehicle-treated, (c) did not produce any signficant change in BP in the T. violacea-treated group when compared to the vehicle-treated group and (d) did not produce any signifiant change in HR or body weight in any of the groups. The result obtained in this study suggests that T. violacea reduced BP and HR in the SHR. Secondly, the BP and HR reducing effect of the MLE may involve a) the inhibition of the ACE, b) the inhibition of the beta; adrenoceptors, c) the stimulation of the muscarinic receptors and d) the reduction of the levels of aldosternone in plasma. The results also suggest that the MLE may not act through the angiotensin II receptors or the alpha adrenergic receptors. / South Africa

Diese kumulative Habilitation untersucht die Rolle des Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-Systems (RAAS) bei chronischen und akuten Regelvorgänge im Salz-Wasser-Haushalt an wachen Hunden. Nach einer Einführung in die Methodik der Langzeitstudien werden zunächst die zirkardianen und ultradianen Veränderungen der Natriumausscheidung beschrieben, die wir bei den Hunden beobachten konnten. Es scheint, als sei das Natriumausscheidungsmuster bei Hunden das Resultat endogener Rhythmizität und exogen, reaktiver Prozesse. Beide Komponenten scheinen zur Aufrechterhaltung der Natriumhomöostase beizutragen. Bei der Infusion natriumretinierender Hormone wie Aldosteron und Angiotensin II verschob sich ein größerer Anteil der täglichen Natrium- und Wasserausscheidung in die Abend- und Nachtstunden. Wir haben dieses Phänomen als "Nachtverschiebung" bezeichnet. In Bilanzstudien über vier Tage wurde dann der Frage nachgegangen, ob das Ganz-Körper-(GK)-Natrium eine kontrollierte Variable ist. Wir konnten zeigen, dass zwei Faktoren bei der Kontrolle des GK-Natriums eine wesentliche Rolle spielen, die Aktivität des RAAS und der renale Perfusionsdruck. Ist nur eine dieser Komponenten gestört, kann sie durch die andere - was das Einstellen eines 24-Stunden Bilanzgleichgewichtes angeht - ausgeglichen werden, allerdings nur unter Inkaufnahme eines veränderten GK-Natriumbestands. Ebenfalls über vier Tage wurde die Bedeutung des NO (Stickoxid) für die langfristige Regelung des Natriumbestandes untersucht. Dabei wurde gefunden, dass die Plasma-Renin-Aktivität (PRA) während NO-Synthase-Inhibition durchweg niedriger als bei intaktem NO-System war. Der Aldosteron / PRA Quotient war unter NOS-Inhibition deutlich größer als in den jeweiligen Protokollen ohne NOS-Inhibition. In Kurzzeitstudien (3-4 Stunden) wurden wache Hunde während akuter Hypoxie, die akut mit einer Verminderung des Natrium- und Wasserbestandes einhergehen kann ("Höhendiurese"), sowie während kontrollierter maschineller Beatmung mit hohen positiv-end-exspiratorischen (PEEP) Drucken, die zur Natrium- und Wasserretention führen kann, untersucht. Unter Hypoxie zeigte sich, dass das in niedrigen Plasma-Konzentrationen als Adenosin-1-Rezeptorantagonist wirkende Theophyllin den Abfall der PRA und des Angiotensin II unter Hypoxie verhindern kann. Auf der anderen Seite fiel die Plasma-Aldosteron-Konzentration während Hypoxie unabhängig davon, ob Theophyllin infundiert wurde, wahrscheinlich wegen einer verminderten Aktivität der 18-Hydroxylase während Hypoxie. Die Untersuchungen unter PEEP-Beatmung ergaben u.a., dass bei bilateral denervierten, wachen Hunden, deren Natriumzufuhr normal ist, den Nierennerven keine wesentliche Rolle für die zu beobachtende Wasser- und Natriumretention während maschineller Beatmung zukommt. / This cumulative thesis investigates on conscious dogs the role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) during chronic and acute challenges of salt and water homeostasis. After introducing the methods of long term studies in dogs, circadian and ultradian oscillations of sodium excretion are being described. We demonstrated, that the sodium excretion pattern in dogs is the result of endogenous rhythms and exogenous reactive processes. Both components seem to contribute to sodium homeostasis. When infusing sodium retaining hormones, such as aldosterone and angiotensin II, a greater share of the daily sodium and water excretion was shifted towards the evening and the night. This phenomenon was termed "night shift". In balance studies over four days it was investigated whether the total body sodium is a controlled variable. Two factors were identified to play a pivotal role in controlling total body sodium: the activity of the RAAS and renal perfusion pressure. If only one of these components is disturbed, the respective other component is able to equilibrate the 24 h sodium balance, but only on a different level of total body sodium. Also over a period of four days the significance of NO (nitric oxide) for the long-term regulation of sodium balance was investigated. Among others, it was found that compared to an intact NO system, the plasma-renin activity (PRA) was always lower during NO synthase (NOS) inhibition, and the aldosterone / PRA ratio was greater during NOS inhibition. In short-term studies (lasting 3-4 hours) awake dogs were studied during hypoxia - which is usually combined with a reduced total body sodium and water ("high altitude diuresis") - as well as during controlled mechanical ventilation with positive-end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) - which often leads to sodium and water retention. It was demonstrated that the decline in PRA and angiotensin II during hypoxia - which is a typical finding in conscious dogs - can be prevented by theophyllin, which acts as an adenosin-1-receptor antagonist in lower concentrations. On the other hand, plasma aldosterone concentration declined during hypoxia independent of whether theophyllin was infused or not, probably due to a reduced 18-hydroxylase activity during hypoxia. The PEEP studies demonstrated among others, that in bilaterally denervated conscious dogs - whose sodium intake was normal - the renal nerves play no substantial role for the water and sodium retention observed during PEEP ventilation.