Angiotensin receptor blockers: new considerations in their mechanism of action.

Angiotensin receptor blockers are one of several drug classes that act by hindering activity of the renin-angiotensin axis. Angiotensin receptor blockers act by selectively blocking the binding of angiotensin II to the angiotensin type 1 receptor but not the angiotensin type 2 receptor. Compounds in this class are as effective as most other antihypertensive drug classes in reducing blood pressure in the patient with hypertension. The mechanism of action of an angiotensin receptor blocker, which seemed a straightforward proposition early on, has of late become more convoluted with a host of class and compound-specific concerns having emerged. As the mechanistic basis for the action(s) of angiotensin receptor blockers more completely unfolds, added credence may ultimately be lent to widely touted and often overstated intraclass differences.