Angiotensin(1-7)

Angiotensin (1-7) is a naturally occurring heptapeptide generated within the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), most directly by angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cleaving a single amino acid from Angiotensin II, though it can also be generated through other enzymatic routes from Angiotensin I. Its sequence, Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro (DRVYIHP), corresponds to molecular formula C41H62N12O11 and molecular weight approximately 899.02 g/mol (PubChem CID 123805; the acetate salt commonly used in research formulations has CAS number 51833-78-4).

At Verified Peptides, we think Angiotensin (1-7) is best understood as the central effector peptide of what researchers call the "protective arm" or "counter-regulatory arm" of the RAS — a system that, in its classical form (Angiotensin II acting on the AT1 receptor), drives vasoconstriction, sodium retention, fibrosis, and inflammation, but which also contains this separate ACE2/Angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas receptor pathway that generally opposes those same effects. This makes Angiotensin (1-7) mechanistically central to a great deal of contemporary cardiovascular and, since 2020, COVID-19-related research, given ACE2's additional, unrelated role as the cell-surface receptor SARS-CoV-2 uses to enter human cells.

A synthetic formulation of Angiotensin (1-7), developed under the name TXA127 (originally by Tarix Pharmaceuticals, later Constant Therapeutics), has been tested in multiple real human clinical trials across several distinct indications, giving this compound one of the more substantial clinical development histories of any peptide in this catalog.

The classical renin-angiotensin system, in brief, works as follows: renin cleaves angiotensinogen to Angiotensin I, which angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) then converts to Angiotensin II, the primary effector that raises blood pressure and drives sodium retention via the AT1 receptor. ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) — widely used antihypertensive drug classes — work by interrupting this classical pathway. Angiotensin (1-7) sits in a parallel, separate branch of this same system, generated from either Angiotensin I or Angiotensin II by different enzymes (including ACE2, neprilysin, and prolyl endopeptidase), giving researchers a genuinely distinct pharmacological target from the ACE/AT1 axis that most currently marketed RAS-targeting drugs address.

At Verified Peptides, we think Angiotensin (1-7)'s human clinical trial record is genuinely substantial and spans multiple distinct indications, which we want to walk through directly. A Phase I/II dose-escalation study (Rodgers, Oliver, and diZerega, Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, 2006, PMID 16096787) administered Angiotensin (1-7) before and after chemotherapy in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, examining its effect on chemotherapy-induced blood cell deficiencies, with encouraging early safety and biological activity signals.

This early work led to a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial (Pham et al., Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, 2013, PMID 23370663) in 34 patients with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer receiving gemcitabine and platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients received subcutaneous Angiotensin (1-7) at 100 mcg/kg, 300 mcg/kg, or placebo following chemotherapy for up to six cycles. The trial reported no drug-related safety issues, and notably, zero instances of Grade 4 (severe) thrombocytopenia in the 100 mcg/kg treatment group compared to 6% of chemotherapy cycles in the placebo group — a real, statistically meaningful efficacy signal in a randomized, placebo-controlled human trial, which is genuinely uncommon evidence quality within this catalog.

Beyond oncology supportive care, synthetic Angiotensin (1-7) (as TXA127) was tested in multiple clinical trials for severe COVID-19 starting in 2020, reflecting the compound's direct mechanistic relevance to the ACE2 pathway that SARS-CoV-2 also exploits. We want to be careful here: we did not locate a definitive, published positive efficacy result establishing TXA127 as an effective COVID-19 treatment, and the COVID-19 trial program appears to reflect a legitimate, mechanistically-motivated research effort during an active public health emergency rather than an established therapeutic outcome. Researchers should treat the COVID-19 application as investigational and unresolved, distinct from the more mature oncology-supportive-care evidence base described above.

No Angiotensin (1-7) formulation has received FDA approval for any indication. At Verified Peptides, we sell research-grade Angiotensin (1-7) exclusively for laboratory research, and we think its combination of a mechanistically well-characterized counter-regulatory RAS pathway, a real positive Phase 2 randomized trial in a specific oncology-supportive-care indication, and ongoing investigational interest in other areas (COVID-19, cardiovascular disease) makes it one of the more substantively evidenced compounds in this catalog.

ACE2, the enzyme primarily responsible for generating Angiotensin (1-7) from Angiotensin II, became one of the most discussed proteins in all of biomedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic for an entirely separate reason: it is the cell-surface receptor that SARS-CoV-2's spike protein binds to gain entry into human cells. This has made the ACE2/Angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas receptor axis a subject of intense research interest not just for its own cardiovascular biology, but for understanding how SARS-CoV-2 infection might disrupt this protective RAS pathway (by consuming or downregulating ACE2), potentially contributing to the cardiovascular and inflammatory complications seen in severe COVID-19.

Angiotensin (1-7)'s hematopoietic-stimulating effects were significant enough to prompt clinical trials specifically for cord blood stem cell transplant recovery, based on the hypothesis that the same bone marrow progenitor-stimulating mechanism relevant to chemotherapy-induced cytopenias could also accelerate blood cell recovery following stem cell transplantation — a genuinely distinct clinical application from either the oncology supportive-care or cardiovascular research contexts.

Angiotensin (1-7) has also been described as a "biased ligand" at the AT1 receptor (the same receptor Angiotensin II activates to produce its pathological effects) in some experimental contexts — meaning it can engage AT1 receptor signaling in a way that favors beneficial (beta-arrestin-mediated) signaling pathways over the harmful (G-protein-mediated) pathways that Angiotensin II itself preferentially activates. This adds a layer of mechanistic complexity beyond simple Mas receptor agonism and is an active area of structural pharmacology research.

The Mas receptor itself was originally identified as a proto-oncogene (a gene with cancer-transformation potential when abnormally activated) years before its role as Angiotensin (1-7)'s physiological receptor was discovered in 2003 — an example of how a receptor's identity and its natural ligand were characterized at very different points in research history.

The oncology-supportive-care trials of Angiotensin (1-7) are notable for testing a peptide hormone against a well-established clinical problem (chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia) that already has approved treatments in some contexts (such as thrombopoietin receptor agonists), giving researchers a genuine comparative reference point for evaluating a RAS-pathway-based approach against mechanistically unrelated, already-approved supportive-care strategies for the same clinical problem.

At Verified Peptides, we require independent third-party HPLC purity testing and mass spectrometry identity confirmation for every batch of research-grade Angiotensin (1-7) we offer, with a Certificate of Analysis (COA) available for each lot. As a straightforward 7-residue peptide, Angiotensin (1-7) can be synthesized to high purity using standard solid-phase peptide synthesis methods.

We source exclusively from manufacturers operating under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-aligned quality systems, and every lot is independently verified rather than accepted solely on a supplier's internal documentation. Researchers should always request and review the specific COA for the lot they receive, confirming purity percentage and molecular identity before use in any experimental protocol.

Lyophilized Angiotensin (1-7) is stable when stored at -20°C, protected from light and moisture, and researchers can generally expect the unreconstituted peptide to maintain integrity over an extended period under these conditions. At Verified Peptides, we ship lyophilized peptide with appropriate cold-chain packaging to preserve stability in transit.

Once reconstituted with sterile water or an appropriate diluent, Angiotensin (1-7) solution should be stored refrigerated at 2–8°C and used within the timeframe indicated on the product's documentation. As a short, unmodified natural peptide, Angiotensin (1-7) may be susceptible to enzymatic degradation by peptidases present in biological samples, an important consideration for researchers designing in vitro or in vivo experimental protocols.

Researchers should avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles of reconstituted material and should follow the specific storage guidance provided with each lot's documentation to preserve sample validity for research use.