Acute oral captopril inhibits angiotensin converting enzyme activity in human cerebrospinal fluid.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), was measured by a fluorimetric method, following an acute oral dose (75 mg) of captopril. A decrease of approximately 60% in enzyme activity was observed in CSF, suggesting that the drug penetrates the blood/brain barrier (BBB) in sufficient amounts to inhibit the ACE in CSF. The activity of CSF enkephalinase, an enzyme present in human brain and inhibited in vitro by an elevated concentration of captopril, was, however, unaffected by the acute drug administration. It is proposed that the antihypertensive effect of captopril in humans may be due, at least in part, to the inhibition of ACE contained within brain structures.