doi: 10.1161/01.RES.0000014287.96335.21
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.
Editorials |
Brain Angiotensin II
New Insights Into Its Role in Sympathetic Regulation
From the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebr.
Correspondence to Irving H. Zucker, PhD, Dept of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984575 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-4575. E-mail izucker@unmc.edu
Key Words: renin • angiotensin II • autonomic outflow • transgenic animal • type 1 receptors
Since its discovery, the renin-angiotensin II system (RAS) has intrigued physiologists and clinicians.1 Angiotensin II (Ang II), an ancient peptide, evolved to carry out a variety of biological functions, in order to meet the needs of diverse organisms. The negative feedback nature of the RAS enables it to participate in hemodynamic, endocrine, neural, behavioral, and excretory functions. It is truly a peptide to which the survival of most species is closely linked.
Over the past 20 years, blockade of the RAS has become a prime target for pharmacotherapy in a variety of diseases. Either blockade of Ang I conversion to Ang II or blockade of the Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1) has been used to treat hypertension and heart failure.2–4 Administration of these agents are effective in ameliorating disease and enhancing survival, even in patients without augmented levels of circulating Ang II. This observation has led investigato0rs to focus on the tissue RAS as a mechanism by which organ function is both controlled and, in disease states, impaired. Although the kidney is the only organ that stores renin in granular form, the components of the RAS have been found in tissues from several other organs. These include the heart, liver, lung, and brain.5–7 The regulation of the RAS system in the brain is especially intriguing because Ang II can act as both a neurotransmitter and a vasoconstrictor.
It has been known for some time that the brain expresses the genes that code for angiotensinogen, renin, converting enzyme, and
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