MINI REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Pulmonary Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1615991
The role of the classical renin-angiotensin system and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/Ang (1-7)/Mas pathway in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Provisionally accepted
- Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal disease, is characterized by fibroblast proliferation, excessive extracellular matrix deposition, and collagen synthesis. These pathological changes lead to impaired lung structure and function, ultimately resulting in respiratory failure. Emerging basic and clinical evidences highlight the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) as a critical contributor to IPF onset and progression. Angiotensin (Ang) II, a key RAS component, mediates various biological effects through its receptors, Ang II receptor type 1 (AT1R) and Ang II receptor type 2 (AT2R). Ang II promotes vasoconstriction, inflammation, and fibrosis via AT1R while it shows contrasting effects through AT2R. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a significant role in RAS by converting Ang II into Ang (1-7), which in turn interacts with Mas receptor and Mas-associated G-protein coupled receptor D to exert anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrotic effects. The RAS also influences autophagy, oxidative stress, and inflammation in the progression of IPF. This review provides an updated overview of the roles of the classical and non-classical RAS pathways in IPF.
Keywords: Pulmonary Fibrosis, Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, angiotensin 1-7, Angiotensin II, Renin-Angiotensin System
Received: 22 Apr 2025; Accepted: 01 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lang, Huang, Chen and He. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: zhixu He, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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