IMR Press / RCM / Volume 22 / Issue 3 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2203083
Open Access Review
Role of the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis in glucose metabolism
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1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Jining First People’s Hospital, Jining Medical University, 272000 Jining, Shandong, China
2 Department of Clinical & Translational Medicine, Jining Life Science Center, 272000 Jining, Shandong, China
*Correspondence: jiangpeicsu@sina.com (Pei Jiang)
Academic Editor: Takatoshi Kasai
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2021, 22(3), 769–777; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2203083
Submitted: 23 June 2021 | Revised: 27 July 2021 | Accepted: 9 August 2021 | Published: 24 September 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Cardiovascular Medicine in Asia 2021)
Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Abstract

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) helps to regulate cardiovascular function, the maintenance of electrolyte and fluid balance, and blood pressure. The RAS contains two axes; the angiotensin-converting enzyme/angiotensin II/Ang II type 1 receptors (ACE/Ang II/AT1) classic axis, which has a role in regulating blood pressure, vascular oxidative stress, coagulation, and cellular proliferation. The other is the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2/angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas receptors (ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas) axis, which can inhibit the former axis, improve fat metabolism, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and enhance glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. The ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis is found in blood vessels, kidneys, liver, pancreas and the brain. It can protect the body from abnormalities in glucose metabolism. The ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis can enhance glucose tolerance and improve insulin sensitivity by protecting pancreatic β cells, increasing insulin secretion, improving glucose metabolism in adipose tissue, enhancing glucose uptake by skeletal muscle, and inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis. This article reviews the main characteristics and functions of the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis and its regulation of glucose metabolism in order to demonstrate its potential as a target for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

Keywords
ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis
Glucose metabolism
Renin-angiotensin system
Pancreatic β cells
Insulin resistance
Diabetes
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