T-kinin has endothelium-dependent vasodilator activity in the cat

Responses to T-kinin, a peptide formed from the acute-phase substrate T-kininogen, were investigated in the hindlimb vascular bed of the cat. Under constant-flow conditions, injections of T-kinin into the perfusion circuit in doses of 0.03-1 nmol induced rapid dose-related decreases in perfusion pressure. Responses to T-kinin were similar in time course and magnitude to responses to bradykinin and kallidin and were inhibited by the kinin B2-receptor antagonist, Hoe-140. Responses to T-kinin were attenuated by an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase and by tetraethylammonium chloride and were enhanced in duration by the guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase inhibitor zaprinast. Responses to T-kinin were not altered by inhibitors of K+(ATP) channels, by the cyclooxygenase pathway, or by muscarinic or beta-adrenergic-receptor antagonists. These data suggest that vasodilator responses to T-kinin are mediated by kinin B2-receptor-stimulated release of nitric oxide from the endothelium and increased smooth muscle cGMP levels. These results indicate that activation of K+(ATP) channels and muscarinic or beta-adrenergic receptors and the release of vasodilator prostaglandins are not involved in mediating the response to T-kinin in the hindlimb circulation of the cat.