Neuroanatomical distribution of angiotensin-II-like neuropeptide within the central nervous system of the crab Chasmagnathus; physiological changes triggered by water deprivation.

The angiotensins constitute a neuropeptidergic system that emerged early in evolution. Their classical osmoregulatory and dipsogenic functions and their mnemonic actions have been demonstrated both in vertebrates and in some invertebrates. Previously, we have shown that, in the euryhaline and semiterrestrial crab Chasmagnathus granulatus, water deprivation correlates with an increased level of brain angiotensin-II-like neuropeptide/s (ANGII-like) and improves memory processes through ANGII receptors. We have proposed that the release of brain angiotensins in response to water shortages is an ancient mechanism for coordinating various functions that, together, enable organisms to tolerate this environmental change. Here, we have evaluated the physiological changes in ANGII-like levels in diverse structures of the central nervous system of these animals during water deprivation. The neuroanatomical distribution of ANGII-like is described in the optic lobes and brain of Chasmagnathus granulatus and the physiological changes in ANGII-like distribution in various brain neuropils is evaluated after water deprivation. Our results indicate that ANGII-like is widely distributed, especially in the medial protocerebrum. After 2 h of water deprivation, ANGII-like immunoreactivity increases in the central body and decreases in the olfactory neuropil and, after 6 h of water deprivation, is markedly reduced in several brain areas. Although further experiments are needed to establish that the angiotensinergic system is involved in the balance of body fluids in this crab, our results suggest that ANGII regulates several functions during water shortages.