Tissue kallikrein levels and synthesis rates are not changed by an acute physiological dose of aldosterone.

Tissue kallikrein content and rate of synthesis have been measured in the kidney and submaxillary gland of the rat after a single physiological dose of aldosterone, and during the time in which the physiological effects of aldosterone are evident. No change in the renal cortical tissue content of immunoreactive kallikrein, in either adrenalectomized or sham-operated animals, was seen within 3 hr of the administration of aldosterone. The kininogenase activity of these samples also did not change. The rates of kallikrein synthesis in the submaxillary gland and the whole kidney were measured by specific immunoprecipitation of kallikrein after 20 min of [35S]methionine incorporation, and again no aldosterone effect was seen. We conclude that, under the conditions of these experiments, aldosterone does not induce the synthesis of tissue kallikrein in either the submaxillary gland or the kidney.