Treatment with valproate downregulates the Agtr2 mRNA in rat lungs

GLP1 receptor agonist liraglutide has been shown to upregulate ACE2 expressions in several animal studies and thereby mediate strong positive stress response1. On the other hand, two in silico studies suggest that valproate downregulates ACE2 and AGTR2 gene expressions2,3. In this study, we have evaluated how these two widely used drugs, liraglutide and valproate, change the expression pattern of RAS system genes in the rat lungs. Our results indicate that eight-day treatment with valproate significantly downregulates the gene expression of Agtr2, Mas1 and Agrt1b in the rat lungs. These effects are reversed by co-administration of liraglutide.