ABSTRACT
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition was first demonstrated in the 1970s following the isolation of the nonapeptide ACE inhibitor from the venom of the South American snake Bothrops jararaca. Synthetic intravenous and then orally active agents were subsequently developed. During the 1980s these agents became established in hypertension treatment and then as standard treatment for congestive heart failure, after myocardial infarction for left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure, and also extending to application in diabetic nephropathy.
