Hyperthermic effect of centrally administered bradykinin in the rat: role of prostaglandins and serotonin.

Intracerebroventricularly administered bradykinin (2.5, 5 and 10 micrograms/rat) produced a dose-related increase in the rectal temperature of adult Wistar strain albino rats. The bradykinin-induced hyperthermia was significantly attenuated following pretreatment of the animals with pharmacological agents which selectively reduce rat brain serotonin or prostaglandin (PG) activity. These findings, and those of earlier reports emanating from this laboratory which indicate that centrally administered bradykinin augments rat brain serotonin and PGE2 activity, suggest the involvement of PGs and serotonin in the hyperthermic action of bradykinin in this species.