AGT and rheumatoid arthritis: Since a previous study demonstrated that MMF treatment suppressed high blood pressure in several hypertensive models and patients, including lead-induced hypertension [28], patients with psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis [34], DOCA-salt hypertensive rats [35] and spontaneously hypertensive rats [36], attenuation of elevated SBP accompanied by inhibition of intrarenal AGT augmentation by MMF was anticipated in the present study.