Glucagon increase after chronic AT1 blockade is more likely related to an indirect leptin-dependent than to a pancreatic α-cell-dependent mechanism.

AT1 blockers (ARB) prevent diabetes by improving pancreatic ß cell function. Less is known about whether α cells are affected although they express angiotensin II (AngII) receptors. We aimed to investigate glucagon release upon AngII stimulation. We determined glucagon release after AngII stimulation (0.01-100 µM) in α cells (InR1G9) and isolated murine islets. We determined plasma glucagon in rats that were chronically treated with AngII (9 µg/h) or the ARBs telmisartan (8 mg/kg/day) and candesartan (16 mg/kg/day) and correlated glucagon with additional hormones (e.g. leptin). Glucagon was only released from InR1G9 cells and islets at the highest AngII concentrations (>10 µM). This was not inhibited by losartan or PD123319. Ang(1-7) and AngIV were also almost ineffective. AngII did not alter glucagon secretion from islets. Plasma glucagon increased when obese Zucker rats were treated with AngII or candesartan and also when Sprague Dawley rats were treated with telmisartan in parallel to high-calorie feeding. Plasma glucagon and leptin negatively correlated in ARB-treated rats. The glucagon release from InR1G9 cells or islets after AngII, AngIV or Ang(1-7) is unspecific since it only occurs, if at all, after the highest concentrations and cannot be blocked by specific inhibitors. Thus, the AngII-dependent increase in plasma glucagon seems to be mediated by indirect mechanisms. The negative correlations between plasma leptin and glucagon confirm findings showing that leptin suppresses glucagon release, leading us to suppose that the increase in plasma glucagon is related to the decrease in leptin after ARB treatment.

Cardiac c-kit+AT2+ cell population is increased in response to ischemic injury and supports cardiomyocyte performance.

The expression pattern of angiotensin AT2 receptors with predominance during fetal life and upregulation under pathological conditions during tissue injury/repair process suggests that AT2 receptors may exert an important action in injury/repair adaptive mechanisms. Less is known about AT2 receptors in acute ischemia-induced cardiac injury. We aimed here to elucidate the role of AT2 receptors after acute myocardial infarction. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that cardiac AT2 receptors were mainly detected in clusters of small c-kit+ cells accumulating in peri-infarct zone and c-kit+AT2+ cells increased in response to acute cardiac injury. Further, we isolated cardiac c-kit+AT2+ cell population by modified magnetic activated cell sorting and fluorescence activated cell sorting. These cardiac c-kit+AT2+ cells, represented approximately 0.19% of total cardiac cells in infarcted heart, were characterized by upregulated transcription factors implicated in cardiogenic differentiation (Gata-4, Notch-2, Nkx-2.5) and genes required for self-renewal (Tbx-3, c-Myc, Akt). When adult cardiomyocytes and cardiac c-kit+AT2+ cells isolated from infarcted rat hearts were cocultured, AT2 receptor stimulation in vitro inhibited apoptosis of these cocultured cardiomyocytes. Moreover, in vivo AT2 receptor stimulation led to an increased c-kit+AT2+ cell population in the infarcted myocardium and reduced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in rats with acute myocardial infarction. These data suggest that cardiac c-kit+AT2+ cell population exists and increases after acute ischemic injury. AT2 receptor activation supports performance of cardiomyocytes, thus contributing to cardioprotection via cardiac c-kit+AT2+ cell population.