On this episode of the Real Life Pharmacology podcast, we're going to talk about angiotensin receptor blockers, also known as ARBs, ARBs.

Common drugs from this medication class include Irbusartin, which is Avipro,

candacanacan, which Xadacand,

LoSartin, probably the most common one I see,

which is Khosar, Olmasartin, Benicar,

Val-Sartin is another one I commonly see in practice,

which is Diavan, and Telmasartan, which is Micartis.

The mechanism of action is as the class describes it.

So these are angiotensin receptor blockers,

and what they do is prevent angiotensin 2

from binding to the angiotensin 2 receptor.

If you remember from the ACE inhibitors,

angiotensin 2 is a potent vasoconstrictor.

Now there are other cascading events that can happen

from this binding to the receptor. And another important one to remember is

the release of aldosterone. And by preventing or blocking the release, reducing the release of

aldosterone, that can potentially raise potassium levels, which I'll talk a little bit more

with the side effects portion.

So remembering that mechanism of action, looping it in with ACE inhibitors,

ACE inhibitors prevent the production of angiotensin 2, which is that potent vasoconstrictor.

Aldiotensin receptor blockers prevent the binding of that angiotensin 2 to its receptors.

So hopefully that kind of makes sense in how they lower blood pressure and act on that angiotensin 2.

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