Neuronal Angiotensin

Abstract

Many tissues, including the brain, contain all components of the renin-angiotensin system and generate angiotensin peptides independent of the systemic, circulating system. Within the brain renin, some questions remain as to how the precursor, angiotensinogen, and its processing enzymes interact to produce the active compounds, angiotensin II/III, because they are rarely localized to the same brain nucleus let alone the same cell. These questions aside, there is clear evidence for actions of angiotensin peptides in regions behind the blood-brain barrier. Receptors for angiotensin peptides, including AT 1 and AT 2 receptors, are distributed in a characteristic pattern throughout the brain, wi..