title: Treatment of severe pulmonary hypertension: a bradykinin receptor 2 agonist B9972 causes reduction of pulmonary artery pressure and right ventricular hypertrophy.
abstract: Bradykinin is an important modulator of endothelial cell function and has also a powerful cardioprotective effect. Here we report that treatment of severely pulmonary hypertensive rats (that recapitulate several of the physiological and pathological characteristics of the human pulmonary vascular disease, including dramatic right ventricular hypertrophy, pericardial effusion and death) with a newly synthesized long-acting bradykinin B2 receptor agonist B9972 caused reduction of the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP=51+/-2.0 versus 68+/-2.8 of untreated animals) and of right ventricular hypertrophy (Rv/Lv+S=0.55+/-0.02 versus 0.73+/-0.03 of untreated rats) and activation of Akt. Long-term stimulation with B9972 in our animal model of SPH resulted in decreased expression of the B2 receptor in lung vasculature. Treatment with B9972 decreased the number of plexiform lesions in the lungs by inducing cell apoptosis in the obliterated vessels and by restoring caveolin-1 expression. B9972 also promoted eNOS activation. In vitro B9972 caused activation of caspase-3 as well as Erk and induction of prostacyclin production in rat pulmonary microvascular EC. Taken together our data suggest that a stable bradykinin B2 agonist B9972 demonstrates the capacity to reduce severe pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy and induce apoptosis of hyperproliferative cells in pre-capillary pulmonary arterioles.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Hypertension Center, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Box C272, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
authors.forename: Laimute
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Taraseviciene-Stewart
authors.forename: Robertas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scerbavicius
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Lajos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gera
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Demura
authors.forename: Carlyne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cool
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.forename: Norbert F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Voelkel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017380:Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D043782:Receptor, Bradykinin B2 / Q000819:agonists* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C506335:B9972; D009842:Oligopeptides; D043782:Receptor, Bradykinin B2