Grant: CIHR Fellowship

An average of about 40,000 Canadians is reported dead each year from hypertension (high blood pressure)-related ailments. Angiotensin converting I enzyme (ACE) and renin are the two major enzymes involved in controlling blood pressure. Hence, the drugs that are used in treating hypertensive patients target these enzymes. Currently, most antihypertensive drugs are designed as ACE inhibitors but inhibition of renin activity is a preferred target because previous studies have shown that it is more effective in controlling blood pressure than ACE inhibition. Currently, only one drug (Aliskerin) that target renin is approved in Canada. Like pharmaceuticals that inhibit ACE, Aliskerin has undesirable side effects in patients. In addition, Aliskerin is not recommended for patients with kidney problems because it is harmful to the kidneys. As a result, there is an increased interest to develop natural and effective remedies for hypertension. Food protein-derived peptides have been shown to inhibit ACE activities. However, there is no information on the renin-inhibitory properties of food protein-derived peptides. The hypotensive activity of renin-inhibitory peptides that were extracted from pea seeds was recently demonstrated in Dr. Aluko's lab. However, the relative in vivo activity of the renin-inhibitory component compared with ACE-inhibitory component has not been determined. The overall objective of the current project is to determine the relative effectiveness of renin-inhibitory peptides compared with ACE-inhibitory peptides extracted from pea in controlling blood pressure. The results of this work will provide information that could lead to better therapeutic management of hypertension and related diseases while avoiding the adverse side effects associated with antihypertensive drugs. The results are also expected to make positive contributions to the search for natural and effective alternatives to the pharmaceutical approach of treating cardiovascular diseases.