AGT and atherosclerosis: AngII and thrombin are two key regulators in the vascular system by regulating blood flow and pressure and the coagulation, respectively, with implications in many vascular disorders including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and restenosis after balloon angioplasty (Viswanathan et al., 1992; Ross, 1993; Wilcox et al., 1994; Ishida et al., 1999).