Correlation of two different assays for urinary kallikrein in normotensive and hypertensive subjects

Possible differences in structure-function relationship of urinary kallikrein between normotensive and hypertensive individuals were analysed using two different assay systems which detect two distinct entities of the enzyme. A monospecific goat anti-human urinary kallikrein antibody was characterized by inhibition studies with the purified active enzyme and by trypsin activation of endogenous urinary prokallikrein. Analysis of the data revealed that the antibody is directed against active kallikrein by recognizing an epitope which is different from the catalytic site of the enzyme but which is being exposed together with the active site during trypsin activation of the proenzyme. A direct radioimmunoassay for urinary kallikrein was developed and correlated with the kinin generating activity of the enzyme by assessing endogenous active and trypsin activated kallikrein in the urine of normotensive and hypertensive subjects. Significant positive correlations were found between the two assays for both active and total kallikrein in normotensive and hypertensive subjects and the slopes of the respective regression lines were identical. These data do not provide evidence for a defective enzyme, a defective activation of the proenzyme or for the presence of an inhibitor of urinary kallikrein in essential hypertension.