What Are the Pros and Cons of ACE Inhibitors for Blood Pressure?

Food-derived antihypertensive peptides are a general term for a class of small molecule peptides that can lower human blood pressure. Generally, the molecular weight of the active antihypertensive peptide is below 1000, which is usually obtained by protease hydrolyzing protein under relatively mild conditions. Because of its obvious effect of lowering blood pressure, and has no effect on normal blood pressure, no side effects, etc., it has become a focus of current research.

There are three main sources of antihypertensive peptides. ^[1]

Highly active antihypertensive peptides have similar molecular structures

The mechanism of action of antihypertensive peptides is to reduce blood pressure by inhibiting the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). ACE has important physiological functions in regulating the blood pressure in the renal angiotensin system. Renin acts on angiotensinogen to release inactive angiotensin , and through the action of ACE, angiotensin with vascular smooth muscle activity is generated, thereby causing an increase in blood pressure. The antihypertensive peptide inhibits the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme, so that angiotensin type (inactive) cannot be converted into type (active), thereby inhibiting peripheral blood vessel contraction and preventing blood pressure from increasing. ^[1]

Normal human blood pressure is regulated by many factors, including the renin-angiotensin regulatory system (RAS) and

At present, the drugs commonly used to treat hypertension belong to chemical synthetic drugs. Patients with hypertension who take synthetic drugs for a long time will have various side effects. Antihypertensive peptides derived from food proteins can lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension, have high safety, and have no side effects in long-term use. They are particularly suitable for use as oral medicaments or functional food base materials to make various health foods. China's research on antihypertensive peptides has just started, but it has attracted people's attention. In recent years, it has gradually become a hotspot in the development of antihypertensive drugs. ^[2]