title: Kinins in cardiac inflammation and regeneration: insights from ischemic and diabetic cardiomyopathy.
abstract: The kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) is a system of vasoactive peptides, the kinins, involved in different aspects of remodeling, inflammation and angiogenesis. Kinins mediate their actions through two receptors, B1R and B2R. It is increasingly recognized that the KKS is involved in the inflammatory processes of the heart. Evidence shows that the B2R is beneficial in myocardial diseases, protecting from inflammation, fibrosis and apoptosis, while B1R shows a proinflammatory character contributing to the disease progression by increasing the production of cytokines and stimulating the migration of immune cells. Furthermore, novel important actions of the KKS and its receptors contribute to neovascularization and recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells in ischemic areas and endothelial dysfunction. The kinin receptors could therefore constitute potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of myocardial ischemia and diabetic cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Cardiology and Pneumonology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Savvatis
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Westermann
authors.forename: Heinz-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Schultheiss
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tschöpe
mesh_terms: D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000378:metabolism*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D016234:Kallikrein-Kinin System / Q000502:physiology; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000378:metabolism; D007705:Kinins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism; D012038:Regeneration
chemical_list: D007705:Kinins; D007610:Kallikreins