Modulators of the renin angiotensin system exhibit pleiotropic properties independent of their hypotensive effects, including neuroprotection and the enhancement of cognition.
Modulators of the renin angiotensin system may offer neuroprotective and cognition-enhancing benefits independent of their blood pressure-lowering effects.
For many years, modulators of the renin angiotensin system (RAS) have been trusted by clinicians for the control of essential hypertension. It was recently demonstrated that these modulators have other pleiotropic properties independent of their hypotensive effects, such as enhancement of cognition. Within the brain, different components of the RAS have been extensively studied in the context of neuroprotection and cognition. Interestingly, a crosstalk between the RAS and other systems such as cholinergic, dopaminergic and adrenergic systems have been demonstrated. In this review, the preclinical and clinical evidence for the impact of RAS modulators on cognitive impairment of multiple etiologies will be discussed. In addition, the expression and function of different receptor subtypes within the RAS such as: Angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R), Angiotensin II type II receptor (AT2R), Angiotensin IV receptor (AT4R), Mas receptor (MasR), and Mas-related-G protein-coupled receptor (MrgD), on different cell types within the brain will be presented. We aim to direct the attention of the scientific community to the plethora of evidence on the importance of the RAS on cognition and to the different disease conditions in which these agents can be beneficial.
Jackson et al. (Thu,) conducted a review in Cognitive impairment. Renin angiotensin system (RAS) modulators was evaluated. Modulators of the renin angiotensin system exhibit pleiotropic properties independent of their hypotensive effects, including neuroprotection and the enhancement of cognition.