Effect of prolonged low-dose angiotensin II infusion on the sensitivity of adrenal cortex in man.

The effect of incremental infusions of isoleucine-5-angiotensin II on blood pressure and plasma aldosterone concentrations was studied in normal man before and after 66 hours of intravenous infusion of angiotensin II at 2 ng kg-1 min-1, sodium and potassium balance being kept roughly constant throughout. Plasma sodium and ACTH concentrations were unaltered, but plasma potassium and magnesium levels and basal plasma cortisol fell slightly after prolonged angiotensin administration. During the prolonged angiotensin infusion plasma renin activity was suppressed, and there was a sustained elevation of arterial pressure and plasma aldosterone concentration. Aldosterone excretion, while clearly increased, showed a regular circadian rhythm, with peak values in the early morning. The angiotensin II-pressor relationship was not significantly changed after the prolonged infusion of angiotensin II, while the angiotensin II-aldosterone dose-response curve was steeper than in the basal state but not identical with that of sodium depletion. No differences were observed in the pressor or aldosterone-stimulant effects of the isoleucine-5 and valine-5 forms of angiotensin II. A trophic effect of angiotensin II on the adrenal cortex may provide a partial explanation for the enhanced response of aldosterone to angiotensin II in sodium depleted man.