Renin-like activity in the rat brain during the development of DOC-salt hypertension

Levels and distribution of an angiotensin-forming enzyme, active at the physiological pH (isorenin), were determined in the central nervous system of 24 rats treated with 25 mg/kg of deoxycorticosterone (DOC) subcutaneously, twice a week, plus saline to drink during 30 days and in 14 control animals. Different areas of the brain were excised and homogenized. Renin activity and concentration were determined by incubation of the supernatant of each homogenate at pH 7.2 alone and in the presence of an excess of renin substrate. The angiotensin generated was measured by radioimmunoassay. Concentration of the renin-like enzyme was significantly higher in the posterior hypophysis and in the brain stem of the experimental group; isorenin activity was higher in the hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and brain stem of the DOC-salt-treated rats than in the control rats. Changes in the angiotensin-forming enzyme in the central nervous system of experimental animals, active at physiological pH, suggest that this isorenin system may play a role in the physiological response to DOC-salt in the rat. The significance of the brain isorenin system in the regulation of blood pressure requires further analysis.