Background and Purpose-The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is vulnerable to brain ischemia and stress and exhibits a chronically stimulated brain angiotensin II system, cerebrovascular hypertrophy, and inflammation. Pretreatment with angiotensin II type 1 (AT 1 ) receptor antagonists protects from brain ischemia and from stress and prevents the development of stress-induced gastric ulcers in part by reducing inflammation in the gastric mucosa. We studied whether AT 1 receptor antagonists could exert antiinflammatory effects in the brain vasculature as a mechanism for their protective effects against ischemia. Methods-Ten-week-old SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto male rats received the AT 1 receptor antagonist candesartan (0.3 mg/kg per day) or vehicle for 28 days via osmotic minipumps. We studied AT 1 receptors, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and number of macrophages by immunohistochemistry and Western blots. Results-We found increased endothelial AT 1 receptor expression of brain microvessels and middle cerebral artery of SHR. Brain AT 1 receptor inhibition reversed the pathological vascular hypertrophy, increased and normalized eNOS expression, and decreased ICAM-1 expression and the number of adherent and infiltrating macrophages in cerebral vessels of SHR. Conclusions-The antiinflammatory effects of AT 1 receptor antagonists may be an important mechanism in protecting against ischemia.

Biochemical analysis revealed that angiotensin-converting enzyme related carboxy-peptidase (ACE2) cleaves angiotensin (Ang) II to Ang-(1-7), a heptapeptide identified as an endogenous ligand for the G protein-coupled receptor Mas. No data are currently available that systematically describe ACE2 distribution and activity in rodents. Therefore, we analyzed the ACE2 expression in different tissues of mice and rats on mRNA (RNase protection assay) and protein levels (immunohistochemistry, ACE2 activity, western blot). Although ACE2 mRNA in both investigated species showed the highest expression in the ileum, the mouse organ exceeded rat ACE2, as also demonstrated in the kidney and colon. Corresponding to mRNA, ACE2 activity was highest in the ileum and mouse kidney but weak in the rat kidney, which was also confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Contrary to mRNA, we found weak activity in the lung of both species. Our data demonstrate a tissue- and species-specific pattern for ACE2 under physiological conditions.

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