AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 244, Issue 4 466-R471, Copyright © 1983 by American Physiological Society
Regulation of angiotensinogen in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma of rats
P. Schelling, S. Muller and E. Clauser
The origin and regulation of angiotensinogen in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
was investigated in rats by measuring renin substrate in plasma and CSF
under different experimental conditions. Nephrectomy (NX) increased the
circulating and the central angiotensinogen levels. There was no
correlation between the individual values of plasma and CSF. Adrenalectomy
(ADX) diminished and hydrocortisone treatment augmented the angiotensinogen
levels in plasma and CSF. The combination of ADX and NX caused a
dissociation between peripheral and central angiotensinogen, since the
values were elevated in plasma but unchanged in CSF. After the application
of the converting-enzyme inhibitor captopril a significant decrease of
angiotensinogen was observed in plasma only. A specific radioimmunoassay
for renin substrate of rat plasma also recognized CSF angiotensinogen.
There was a linear correlation between the CSF substrate levels obtained by
direct and indirect measurement. In conclusion, CSF angiotensinogen appears
to be immunologically similar to the plasma molecule. The angiotensinogen
levels in CSF and plasma may be affected in parallel but can nevertheless
be dissociated from each other.
