Question

There’s a class of drugs used to treat high blood pressure known as ACE-Inhibitors. As you might guess from the name, these drugs work by inhibiting the enzyme ACE.

a. Explain in detail how an ACE-inhibitor would work to lower blood pressure. (5 points)

b. What effect will ACE-inhibitors have on the volume of urine produced? Explain why. (3 points)

Answer 1

a. In normal person, when ever blood pressure or blood volume is low, renin, which is part of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone mechanism from the kidneys are released, this enzyme than convertys angiotensinogen produced by the liver to Angiotensin-1, an enzyme ACE found in the lungs, converts angitensin-1 into angiotensin-2, this angiotensin-2 acts to vasoconstrict blood vessels and increase in blood volume resulting in increase in blood pressure, in addition to this angiotensin-2 stimulates the secretion of another hormone aldosterone from the adrenal medulla which acts on the kidney tubule to retain sodium and water so that there is increase in blood volume, thus angiotensin-2 along with aldosterone increase blood pressure.

The ACE inhibitors work by blocking the action of enzyme ACE so that angiotensin -2 is not released. This allows your blood vessels to relax and widen, making it easier for blood to flow through. It also lowers the amount of water your body retains, which lowers your blood pressure.

This is the reason why Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors ( ace inhibitors)are a class of medication used primarily for the treatment of high blood pressure and heart failure.

b) The volume of urine produced increases.

Since Ace-inhibitors act by decreasing the sodium reabsorption and water reabsorptioin from the kidney tubules, amount of water and sodium increases, which is removed in the form of urine, as a result volume of urine increases.