Localization of angiotensinogen in multiple cell types of rat brain.

Angiotensinogen was localized in 3 cell types in brain using immunohistochemical methods. These locations included subpopulations of neurons in nuclei that co-stain for angiotensin II, subpopulations of astrocytes that make putative contacts with brain microvessels, and cells of the choroid plexus. These findings are consistent with multiple functions for brain angiotensinogen as a precursor for neuronal angiotensin II and as a potential source for angiotensin II that is locally produced in the brain.