Angiotensin-converting enzyme in discrete areas of the rat forebrain and pituitary gland.

With the use of a sensitive radioisotopic method we have examined the activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE, E.C. 3.4.15.1) in specific nuclei of the rat forebrain and in the anterior, intermediate and posterior lobes of the pituitary gland of the rat. We reported that ACE activity is heterogeneously distributed in the rat forebrain, with a 200-fold difference between the lowest and the highest values. Highest enzyme activities were found in the subfornical organ and in the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. High ACE activity was also detected in the intermediate and anterior lobes of the pituitary gland, the caudate nucleus, and the medial habenular nucleus. Substantial activity also existed in the globus pallidus, the median eminence, the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, the lateral habenular nucleus and the organon vasculosum laminae terminalis. Our results demonstrate that one of the components of the renin-angiotensin system, the angiotensin-converting enzyme, is highly localized to a few discrete brain structures and the pituitary gland. These findings suggest that angiotensin II could be formed locally in some of these structures, supporting previous immunohistochemical data.