Uremic cardiac hypertrophy is associated with activation of the myocardial RAS and the FGFR-1. Downregulation of these genes induced by Pc and E results in similar amelioration of left ventricular hypertrophy despite the different antihypertensive effects of these drugs.

experiment, the treatment started 15 weeks after surgery in established chronic renal insufficiency. This situation more resembles the clinical renal disease, and may explain the differences in the observed results. We conclude that paricalcitol treatment does not always suppress RAS components in the kidney, and suggest that the observed effects of paricalcitol on RAS gene expression in remnant kidneys may depend on the timing of the treatment.