Pentopril

**Semantic type:** Pharmacologic Substance

**Definition:** A non-sulfhydryl angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor with antihypertensive activity. As a prodrug, pentopril is hydrolyzed into its active form pentoprilat, which competitively inhibits ACE, thereby blocking the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. This prevents the potent vasoconstrictive actions of angiotensin II and results in vasodilation. Pentoprilat also decreases angiotensin II-induced aldosterone secretion by the adrenal cortex, which leads to an increase in sodium excretion and subsequently increases water outflow.

**Synonyms:** - PENTOPRIL