Seventieth Anniversary of Angiotensin, the Octapeptide with Two Names
In 1939, two research groups a great geographical distance apart independently discovered a novel pressor agent that was released by renin. The Argentine group named it hypertensin, and called its plasma protein substrate hypertensinogen. The US group named it angiotonin. Both names were used over the next two decades, even though Braun Menendez and Irvine Page, in 1958, suggested that the peptide should be named angiotensin. Eventually, this combined name became commonly accepted in order to overcome lasting linguistic confusion. Research scientists and physicians today acknowledge that the discoveries of both renin and angiotensin greatly improved our understanding of several diseases. Certainly medical practice profited significantly from the synthesis and application of numerous pharmacological agents that antagonize either the biosynthesis or pharmacological responses of endogenously generated angiotensin II. Ultimately, discovery of the renin‐angiotensin system enabled many studies that resulted in successful control of vascular disease.