Volume 2, Number 2, June 2001

The renin-angiotensin system in the brain: an update
Juraj Culman, Johannes Baulmann, Annegret Blume, Thomas Unger

All components of the renin-angiotensin system have been found in the central nervous system. Both angiotensin receptor types, AT₁ and AT₂, and probably further receptor types are present in the brain and neuronal tissue. In the adult brain, the AT₁-receptor dominates by far and mediates most of the known actions of angiotensin II (Ang II), such as the central regulation of blood pressure, body fluid and electrolyte homeostasis, sympathetic outflow and the release of hypothalamic and pituitary hormones. The AT₂-receptor is highly expressed in the brain during foetal development and its expression can be altered in pathological situations. In general, the actions of Ang II mediated via AT₂-receptors are directly opposed to those mediated via AT₁-receptors. There is a large body of evidence that AT₂-receptors contribute to the cellular processes which are initiated by tissue damage or injury. The AT₂-receptor appears to act as a mediator of processes occurring during brain development, neuronal cell differentiation and regeneration, but has also been implicated in molecular events which lead to programmed cell death. This review provides an analysis of functions of Ang II in neuronal cells and the nervous system with the focus on the role of the AT₂-receptor in neuronal tissue upon various physiological and pathophysiological situations.

JRAAS 2001;2:96-102.

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