Also, Ang-(1-7) inhibits serum-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in cardiac myocytes [78] and prevents the Ang-II-mediated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Rho kinase in hearts in a dosedependent manner [79] . In line with these data, activation of endogenous ACE2 significantly reduced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in hearts of hypertensive rats (SHRs) [48] . However, Mercure et al. [19] reported that overexpression of Ang-(1-7) in hearts of rats decreases the Ang-II-induced phosphorylation of c-Src and p38 kinase, whereas the increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation was unaffected by the expression of the transgene, thereby suggesting a selective effect of Ang-(1-7) on intracellular signaling pathways related to cardiac remodeling.