title: Effect of a centrally active angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, perindopril, on cognitive performance in chronic cerebral hypo-perfusion rats.
abstract: We have previously demonstrated that perindopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, ameliorated the cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease model animals, independently of its anti-hypertensive effect. In this study, we again investigated the effects of perindopril on cognitive function in a vascular dementia model animal, comparing it with other ACE inhibitors. We also determined ACE activity in the brain and extracellular acetylcholine (ACh) concentration in the perirhinal cortex in order to elucidate the mechanism(s) responsible for the effects of these ACE inhibitors on cognitive function. Perindopril was suggested to be more centrally active than imidapril and enalapril, in consideration of the relative distribution of their active metabolites in the brain. This property was at least partially attributed to the lipophilicity of the compound. While the 3 day treatment with perindopril, imidapril or enalapril lowered blood pressure to the same level in spontaneous hypertensive rats, only perindopril reversed the decline in the recognition index in chronic cerebral hypo-perfusion rats, regarded as an animal model of vascular dementia, during an object recognition task. Using the same dosing regimen, perindopril inhibited the brain ACE activities of rats more than imidapril or enalapril. Moreover, a single treatment with perindopril enhanced the extracellular level of ACh in the perirhinal cortex of normal rats. Therefore, we confirmed that only centrally active ACE inhibitors, such as perindopril, can inhibit the ACE in the brain, augmenting cholinergic neurotransmission and thereby ameliorating cognitive impairment in the animal model of vascular dementia.
authors: Pharmacological Research Laboratories, Research Division, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd., 1188 Shimotogari, Nagaizumi-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka 411-8731, Japan. kohji.yamada@kyowa-kirin.co.jp
authors: Koji
authors: K
authors: Yamada
authors: Takako
authors: T
authors: Horita
authors: Makoto
authors: M
authors: Takayama
authors: Shusuke
authors: S
authors: Takahashi
authors: Katsumi
authors: K
authors: Takaba
authors: Yoshinori
authors: Y
authors: Nagata
authors: Nobuyuki
authors: N
authors: Suzuki
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Kanda
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000032:analysis; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D017551:Microdialysis; D020913:Perindopril / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000109:Acetylcholine; D020913:Perindopril