The permeability state of the blood-brain barrier in relation with the plasma renin activity in early stage of experimental renal hypertension.

Abstract The permeability state of the blood-brain barrier has been investigated in rats with renal hypertension. We have observed that the permeability of brain vessels is considerably increased both if, apart from the ischaemic kidney, the contralateral one was removed and also if we left it untouched. The plasma renin activity was only increased; compared with control animals however, in that form of hypertension where, besides the ischaemic kidney, the contralateral one remained untouched. We suppose that the change in plasma renin level does not play any essential role in the increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier.