CD68 and portal hypertension: The major findings of the present study were that (1) LCZ696 and valsartan reduced mean arterial pressure, which may be attributed to, at least partly, a decrease of systemic vascular resistance in sham-operated and portal hypertensive rats; (2) LCZ696, but not valsartan, reduced portal pressure and SMAR in portal hypertensive rats; (3) LCZ696 and valsartan improved hepatic biochemical data and reduced CD68-stained macrophage infiltrations in the liver.