Thirst and brain angiotensin in cattle.

Cows that were normally hydrated or deprived of water were given intravenous or intracerebroventricular (icv) infusions of angiotensin I converting-enzyme inhibitors (CEI) or angiotensin II antagonists. Normally hydrated Na-deficient cows increased water intake in a dose-related manner in response to icv infusion of angiotensin I (n = 5). The response to 3 micrograms/h angiotensin I was abolished by concurrent icv infusion of the CEI captopril at 3 mg/h but not by intravenous infusion of captopril at 120 mg/h, which reduced Na appetite (n = 5). The icv infusion of captopril at 12 mg/h did not reduce the water intake of cows that were water restricted for 26.5 h (n = 4) or water restricted and Na deficient (n = 4). The icv infusion of the more lipophilic CEI ramipril at 3 mg/h (n = 7) did not reduce the water intake of normally hydrated or dehydrated cows but reduced the "need-free" intake of Na solution by dehydrated cows. The icv infusion of the nonpeptide antagonist Du Pont 753 at 3 mg/h (n = 7) reduced water intake in dehydrated cows. The results indicate that brain angiotensin may be involved in thirst in cattle. The data suggest that this brain angiotensin II may be formed by a pathway that does not include converting enzyme and that is sited inside the blood brain barrier, possibly in the median preoptic nucleus.