Tachykinins increase vascular permeability in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat

The occurrence of inflammation as indicated by extravasation of Evans blue bound to plasma proteins was examined in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract in the rat, following administration of tachykinins, capsaicin and hydrochloric acid. Intravenous neurokinin A dose-dependently induced extravasation in stomach, duodenum, jejunum, caecum and colon, but had no effect in ileum. Neurokinin B equipotently induced extravasation in the stomach but had no effect in other parts of the gut and substance P had no effects on extravasation of Evans blue in any of the examined parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Capsaicin given intraperitoneally increased vascular permeability in stomach and duodenum only, while extravasation of Evans blue after capsaicin given intraluminally did not differ from the effect of the vehicle alone. As a comparison, HCl given intraluminally in the duodenum was found to induce a prominent extravasation of Evans blue of a greater magnitude than than of tachykinins. We suggest that tachykinins, and in particular neurokinin A, may be of importance for extravasation of plasma proteins as part of inflammatory reactions in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract.