Involvement of endogenous kinins in the pathogenesis of peptidoglycan-induced arthritis in the Lewis rat.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pathophysiologic roles of endogenous bradykinin (BK) and des-Arg9-BK on local and systemic inflammatory responses in a rat model of acute arthritis induced by peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (PG-APS).
METHODS: Female Lewis rats were injected intraperitoneally with PG-APS. Selective antagonists of B1 (Lys-[Leu8]-des-Arg9-BK) and B2 (Hoe 140) receptors were infused at 500 microg/kg and 5 mg/kg per day for 6 days, starting 3 days before induction of inflammation, with subcutaneous micro-osmotic pumps. The local inflammatory response was assessed by paw edema, joint swelling, and tissue content of BK and des-Arg9-BK. These peptides were measured by highly sensitive and specific chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays. Systemic inflammatory reaction was evaluated by the hepatic concentration of the type 2 acute-phase protein T-kininogen.
RESULTS: PG-APS induced significant paw edema and joint swelling 24-72 hours after intraperitoneal injection. The maximal responses to PG-APS observed at 72 hours were significantly reduced (31-38%) by the combination of both B1 and B2 receptor antagonists at 5 mg/kg per day. PG-APS induced a significant increase of BK (up to 5.3-fold) and des-Arg9-BK (up to 4.1-fold) 72 hours after challenge. Liver T-kininogen content was increased by 5.3-, 7.7-, and 5.8-fold at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively, after PG-APS injection. At 24 hours, Hoe 140 and Lys-[Leu8]-des-Arg9-BK increased liver T-kininogen content by 43% and 45%, respectively, but they had no effect at 72 hours.
CONCLUSION: The results indicate that endogenous kinins are involved in local and systemic acute inflammatory responses, through both B1 and B2 kinin receptors, in the model of PG-APS-induced arthritis.