Tissue Ang II has paracrine and autocrineactions, promoting cell growth, apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress and tissuedamage, leading to hypertrophy, fibrosis, heart failure and cardiacdysfunction.6,7 Local tissue6,8 and intracellular9 RASs, such as cardiac RAS, have been described, although littleis known about the presence of an RAS in the pericardial fluid and its possiblesources. This evidence concerns the gene AGT and heart failure.