pharmacological actions and clinical uses

PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS AND CLINICAL USES

Bradykinin and kallidin have similar actions.

  • Cardiovascular system
    • Plasma kinins are potent vasodilators.
    • Renal, cardiac and other visceral vessels are dilated. Kinin induced vasodilatation, causes a sharp fall in systolic and diastolic pressure.
    • ACE inhibitors increase the level of kinins in tissues and plasma.
  • Kidney
    • Kinins regulate urine volume and composition.
    • They increase renal blood flow and enhance the electron transport of chloride in the collecting duct.
  • Other effects 
    • Kinins function in male reproductive system in areas such as spermatogenesis and in promoting sperm motility.
    • Kinins promote dilatation of the femoral artery, closure of the ductus arteriosus and constriction of umbilical vessels helping in the adjustment from foetal to neonatal circulation.

Pathophysiological role

  • Mediation of inflammation
    • Kinins produce all signs of inflammation – redness, exudation, pain and leukocyte mobilization.
    • Tissue injury can cause local kinin production that sets in motion the various defensive and reparative processes.
    • In chronic inflammatory disease there is an increase in kinin level.
  • Mediation of pain
    • By directly stimulating the nerve endings and by increasing the prostaglandin secretion kinins mediate pain.
  • Other actions
    • Functional hyperemia in glands during secretion and regulation of microcirculation specially in kidney may be occurring through local kinin production.
    • Production of kinin is integrated with clotting, fibrinolysin and complement systems.
    • Kinins cause closure of ductus arteriosus, dilatation of foetal pulmonary artery and constriction of umbilical vessels.
    • Kinins may also be involved in shock, angioedema, rhinitis, asthma, ACE inhibitor induced cough, acute pancreatitis etc.

Potential therapeutic uses

  • In conditions of male infertility due to asthenozoospermia and oligospermia.
  • In increasing the delivery of cancer chemotherapeutic agents beyond the blood brain barrier.
Last modified: Tuesday, 15 May 2012, 9:50 AM