The effect of kinin B1 receptor on chronic itching sensitization

Altered kallikrein-related peptidase activity and bradykinin are associated with skin disorders in humans and mice under chronic inflammation conditions. The bradykinin B1 receptor (B1R), also known as one of the G-protein-coupled receptor family and usually absent in intact tissues and upregulated during tissue injury, is responsible for vasodilation, capillary permeability, nociceptor sensitization, and pain; it is indispensable for physiopathological progress in chronic inflammation conditions, but its roles and effectors in the itching sensation of the allergic contact dermatitis model are poorly defined.

We focused on incurable itching in a diphenylcyclopropenone (DCP) chronic inflammation experimental model. Preventive treatment with the B1R antagonist R892 significantly suppressed spontaneous scratching, while the B2R selective antagonist did not. B1R expression in the skin tissues of this model was detected using a quantitative, real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry; B1R mRNA and protein levels were increased compared with a sham-treated control group. A higher B1R IHC staining signal was observed in the keratinocytes in DCP-treated mice compared with a vehicle-treated group, so we studied the B1R function when superimposed on a protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) background, establishing B1R as a pivotal mediator of PAR2 function in HaCaT cell lines.

Our data provide evidence that B1R facilitates the chronic itching sensation related to keratinocytes in a DCP-treated chronic inflammation experimental model.