Inflammatory pain: kinins and antagonists

This short review focuses on the most recent findings in the rapidly expanding field of kinin research. Through a series of recent publications, the crucial relevance of this group of peptides as mediators of inflammatory pain is becoming increasingly evident. On the strength of this idea, kinins have been implicated as algogen peptides produced in response to noxious stimuli. The importance of kinins has been elucidated by different pharmacological and molecular approaches. Special attention has been given to studies with selective kinin antagonists, as well as to the use of receptor gene deletion technology. The gathering of results has demonstrated that both B(1) and B(2) receptors seem to exert a meaningful role during nociceptive responses, the B(1) receptor being most relevant in the chronic stages of inflammatory pain. It is hoped that new effective and useful therapeutic agents, mainly B(1) kinin selective receptor antagonists, might soon be available.