title: Involvement of the kallikrein-kinin system in the antihypertensive effect of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.
abstract: 1. Studies were performed in normal subjects and in rats to assess the effect of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition on the kallikrein-kinin system. As ACE is identical to kininase II, one of the enzymes physiologically involved in bradykinin degradation, bradykinin may be expected to accumulate during ACE inhibition. 2. A competitive antagonist of bradykinin was used to explore in unanaesthetized rats the contribution of circulating bradykinin to blood pressure control under ACE inhibition. 3. No evidence was found for a role of this vasodilating peptide in the blood pressure lowering effect of acute ACE inhibition. 4. The plasma activity of carboxypeptidase N (= kininase I), another pathway of bradykinin degradation, remained intact during a 1 week course of treatment with an ACE inhibitor in normal subjects. This therefore indicates that bradykinin formed during ACE inhibition can still be metabolized.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hypertension, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Waeber
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Juillerat-Jeanneret
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schapira
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nussberger
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Brunner
mesh_terms: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000502:physiology*; D007705:Kinins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D007705:Kinins; D007610:Kallikreins