[Structural and ultrastructural changes induced by angiotensin II in the cerebral cortex of animals].

Structure of capillaries, pericapillary glia and neurons of the sensomotor cerebral cortex was studied in rats after intraperitoneal injections of angiotensin-II (0.05 mg/kg of the body weight) administered once for 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days. The animals were decapitated 5 and 15 min after a single injection, and at repeated injections--15 min after the last one. The repeated injections of angiotensin-II were stated to produce a stable edematous syndrome in the brain of the animals. Pericapillary (astrocytic) glial edema was associated with neural cells edema. The more angiotensin-II was injected, the greater was dilatation of astrocytic processes adjoining the capillaries. In some edematous neurons it was cytoplasmic matrix that swelled, in others--liquid was accumulated in the cytoplasmic network cavities. Membrane bodies appeared in the capillary endothelial cells and in neurons made also a peculiar feature. It could be possible that functional shifts in the CNS observed after repeated injections of angiotensin-II were resulted from deficiency of the cerebral circulation and some structural changes in neural and glial elements.