Central B2 receptor involvement in the antinociceptive effect of bradykinin in rats

Kinin B2 Receptor Activation Prevents the Evolution of Alzheimer's Disease Pathological Characteristics in a Transgenic Mouse Model

Background: Alzheimer’s disease is mainly characterized by remarkable neurodegeneration in brain areas related to memory formation. This progressive neurodegeneration causes cognitive impairment, changes in behavior, functional disability, and even death. Our group has demonstrated changes in the kallikrein–kinin system (KKS) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experimental models, but there is a lack of evidence about the role of the KKS in Alzheimer’s disease. Aim: In order to answer this question, we evaluated the potential of the kinin B2 receptors (BKB2R) to modify AD characteristics, particularly memory impairment, neurodegeneration, and Aβ peptide deposition. Methods: To assess the effects of B2, we used transgenic Alzheimer’s disease mice treated with B2 receptor (B2R) agonists and antagonists, and performed behavioral and biochemical tests. In addition, we performed organotypic hippocampal culture of wild-type (WT) and transgenic (TG) animals, where the density of cytokines, neurotrophin BDNF, activated astrocyte marker S100B, and cell death were analyzed after treatments. Results: Treatment with the B2R agonist preserved the spatial memory of transgenic mice and decreased amyloid plaque deposition. In organotypic hippocampal culture, treatment with B2R agonist decreased cell death, neuroinflammation, and S100B levels, and increased BDNF release. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the kallikrein–kinin system plays a beneficial role in Alzheimer’s disease through B2R activation. The use of B2R agonists could, therefore, be a possible therapeutic option for patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Panicolytic-like action of bradykinin in the dorsal periaqueductal gray through μ-opioid and B2-kinin receptors

A wealth of evidence has shown that opioid and kinin systems may control proximal defense in the dorsal periaqueductal gray matter (dPAG), a critical panic-associated area. Studies with drugs that interfere with serotonin-mediated neurotransmission suggest that the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) synergistically interacts with the 5-HT_1A receptor in the dPAG to inhibit escape, a panic-related behavior. A similar inhibitory effect has also been reported after local administration of bradykinin (BK), which is blocked by the non-selective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. The latter evidence, points to an interaction between BK and opioids in the dPAG. We further explored the existence of this interaction through the dPAG electrical stimulation model of panic. We also investigated whether intra-dPAG injection of captopril, an inhibitor of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) that also degrades BK, causes a panicolytic-like effect. Our results showed that intra-dPAG injection of BK inhibited escape performance in a dose-dependent way, and this panicolytic-like effect was blocked by the BK type 2 receptor (B2R) antagonist HOE-140, and by the selective MOR antagonist CTOP. Conversely, the panicolytic-like effect caused by local administration of the selective MOR agonist DAMGO was antagonized by pre-treatment with either CTOP or HOE-140, indicating cross-antagonism between MOR and B2R. Finally, intra-dPAG injection of captopril also impaired escape in a dose-dependent way, and this panicolytic-like effect was blocked by pretreatment with HOE-140, suggesting mediation by endogenous BK. The panicolytic-like effect of captopril indicates that the use of ACE inhibitors in the clinical management of panic disorder may be worth exploring.

5-Hydroxytryptamine 1A receptors in the dorsomedial hypothalamus connected to dorsal raphe nucleus inputs modulate defensive behaviours and mediate innate fear-induced antinociception

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is an important brainstem source of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and 5-HT plays a key role in the regulation of panic attacks. The aim of the present study was to determine whether 5-HT1A receptor-containing neurons in the medial hypothalamus (MH) receive neural projections from DRN and to then determine the role of this neural substrate in defensive responses. The neurotracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) was iontophoretically microinjected into the DRN, and immunohistochemical approaches were then used to identify 5HT1A receptor-labelled neurons in the MH. Moreover, the effects of pre-treatment of the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) with 8-OH-DPAT and WAY-100635, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist and antagonist, respectively, followed by local microinjections of bicuculline, a GABAA receptor antagonist, were investigated. We found that there are many projections from the DRN to the perifornical lateral hypothalamus (PeFLH) but also to DMH and ventromedial (VMH) nuclei, reaching 5HT1A receptor-labelled perikarya. DMH GABAA receptor blockade elicited defensive responses that were followed by antinociception. DMH treatment with 8-OH-DPAT decreased escape responses, which strongly suggests that the 5-HT1A receptor modulates the defensive responses. However, DMH treatment with WAY-100635 failed to alter bicuculline-induced defensive responses, suggesting that 5-HT exerts a phasic influence on 5-HT1A DMH neurons. The activation of the inhibitory 5-HT1A receptor had no effect on antinociception. However, blockade of the 5-HT1A receptor decreased fear-induced antinociception. The present data suggest that the ascending pathways from the DRN to the DMH modulate panic-like defensive behaviours and mediate antinociceptive phenomenon by recruiting 5-HT1A receptor in the MH.

Anxiolytic activity and evaluation of potentially adverse effects of a bradykinin-related peptide isolated from a social wasp venom

Anxiety disorders are major health problems in terms of costs stemming from sick leave, disabilities, healthcare and premature mortality. Despite the availability of classic anxiolytics, some anxiety disorders are still resistant to treatment, with higher rates of adverse effects. In this respect, several toxins isolated from arthropod venoms are useful in identifying new compounds to treat neurological disorders, particularly pathological anxiety. Thus, the aims of this study were to identify and characterize an anxiolytic peptide isolated from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista. The peptide was identified as Polisteskinin R, with nominal molecular mass [M+H](+)=1301Da and primary structure consisting of Ala-Arg-Arg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe-Thr-Pro-Phe-Arg-OH. The anxiolytic effect was tested using the elevated plus maze test. Moreover, adverse effects on the spontaneous behavior and motor coordination of animals were assessed using the open field and rotarod tests. Polisteskinin R induced a dose-dependent anxiolytic effect. Animals treated with the peptide and diazepam spent significantly more time into the open arms when compared to the groups treated with the vehicle and pentylenetetrazole. No significant differences in spontaneous behavior or motor coordination were observed between the groups, showing that the peptide was well tolerated. The interaction by agonists in both known BK receptors induces a variability of physiological effects; Polisteskinin R can act on these receptors, inducing modulatory activity and thus, attenuating anxiety behaviors. The results of this study demonstrated that the compound Polisteskinin R exerted potent anxiolytic effects and its analogues are promising candidates for experimental pharmacology.

Dose-depending effect of intracerebroventricularly administered bradykinin on nociception in rats

BACKGROUND

The effect of small and high doses of intracerebroventricularly (icv) applied bradykinin (BK) on nociception produced by mechanical stimuli and the participation of B1 and B2 receptors in this nociception were investigated in rats.

RESULTS

BK at the lowest dose (0.06 μg) produced hyperalgesia whereas at the higher doses (6 and 12 μg) antinociception. This effect was abolished by B1 or B2 receptor antagonists, des-Arg(10)-HOE140 and HOE140 (1 pmol icv), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Depending on the dose used, BK produces pro- or anti-nociceptive action. Both B1 and B2 receptors are involved in the action of icv applied BK.

Inhibition of acute nociceptive responses in rats after i.c.v. injection of Thr6-bradykinin, isolated from the venom of the social wasp, Polybia occidentalis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In this work, a neuroactive peptide from the venom of the neotropical wasp Polybia occidentalis was isolated and its anti-nociceptive effects were characterized in well-established pain induction models.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Wasp venom was analysed by reverse-phase HPLC and fractions screened for anti-nociceptive activity. The structure of the most active fraction was identified by electron-spray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) and it was further assessed in two tests of anti-nociceptive activity in rats: the hot plate and tail flick tests.

KEY RESULTS

The most active fraction contained a peptide whose structure was Arg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe-Thr-Pro-Phe-Arg-OH, which corresponds to that of Thr(6)-BK, a bradykinin analogue. This peptide was given by i.c.v. injection to rats. In the tail flick test, Thr(6)-BK induced anti-nociceptive effects, approximately twice as potent as either morphine or bradykinin also given i.c.v. The anti-nociceptive activity of Thr(6)-BK peaked at 30 min after injection and persisted for 2 h, longer than bradykinin. The primary mode of action of Thr(6)-BK involved the activation of B(2) bradykinin receptors, as anti-nociceptive effects of Thr(6)-BK were antagonized by a selective B(2) receptor antagonist.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Our data indicate that Thr(6)-BK acts through B(2) bradykinin receptors in the mammalian CNS, evoking antinociceptive behaviour. This activity is remarkably different from that of bradykinin, despite the structural similarities between both peptides. In addition, due to the increased metabolic stability of Thr(6)-BK, relative to that of bradykinin, this peptide could provide a novel tool in the investigation of kinin pathways involved with pain.

Descriptive and functional neuroanatomy of locus coeruleus-noradrenaline-containing neurons involvement in bradykinin-induced antinociception on principal sensory trigeminal nucleus

The present study was carried out in Wistar rats, using the jaw-opening reflex and dental pulp stimulation, to investigate noradrenaline- and serotonin-mediated antinociceptive circuits. The effects of microinjections of bradykinin into the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus (PSTN) before and after neurochemical lesions of the locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons were studied. Neuroanatomical experiments showed evidence for reciprocal neuronal pathways connecting the locus coeruleus (LC) to trigeminal sensory nuclei and linking monoaminergic nuclei of the pain inhibitory system to spinal trigeminal nucleus (STN). Fast blue (FB) injections in the locus coeruleus/subcoeruleus region retrogradely labeled neurons in the contralateral PSTN and LC. Microinjections of FB into the STN showed neurons labeled in both ipsilateral and contralateral LC, as well as in the ipsilateral Barrington's nucleus and subcoeruleus area. Retrograde tract-tracing with FB also showed that the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus sends neural pathways towards the ipsilateral PSTN, with outputs from cranial and caudal aspects of the brainstem. In addition, neurons from the lateral and dorsolateral columns of periaqueductal gray matter also send outputs to the ipsilateral PSTN. Microinjections of FB in the interpolar and caudal divisions of the STN labeled neurons in the caudal subdivision of STN. Microinjections in the STN interpolar and caudal divisions also retrogradely labeled serotonin- and noradrenaline-containing nucleus of the brainstem pain inhibitory system. Finally, the gigantocellularis complex (nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis/paragigantocellularis), nucleus raphe magnus and nucleus raphe pallidus also projected to the caudal divisions of the STN. Microinjections of bradykinin in the PSTN caused a statistically significant long-lasting antinociception, antagonized by the damage of locus coeruleus-noradrenergic neuronal fibres with (N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine) (DSP4), a neurotoxin that specifically depleted noradrenaline from locus coeruleus terminal fields. These data suggest that serotonin- and noradrenaline-containing nuclei of the endogenous pain inhibitory system exert a key-role in the antinociceptive mechanisms of bradykinin and the locus coeruleus is crucially involved in this effect.

Kinin receptors in pain and inflammation

Kinins are among the most potent autacoids involved in inflammatory, vascular and pain processes. These short-lived peptides, including bradykinin, kallidin and T-kinin, are generated during tissue injury and noxious stimulation. However, emerging evidence also suggests that kinins are stored in neuronal elements of the central nervous system (CNS) where they are thought to play a role as neuromediators in various cerebral functions, particularly in the control of nociceptive information. Kinins exert their biological effects through the activation of two transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptors, denoted bradykinin B(1) and B(2). Whereas the B(2) receptor is constitutive and activated by the parent molecules, the B(1) receptor is generally underexpressed in normal tissues and is activated by kinins deprived of the C-terminal Arg (des-Arg(9)-kinins). The induction and increased expression of B(1) receptor occur following tissue injury or after treatment with bacterial endotoxins or cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. This review summarizes the most recent data from various animal models which convey support for a role of B(2) receptors in the acute phase of the inflammatory and pain response, and for a role of B(1) receptors in the chronic phase of the response. The B(1) receptor may exert a strategic role in inflammatory diseases with an immune component (diabetes, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis). New information is provided regarding the role of sensory mechanisms subserving spinal hyperalgesia and intrapleural neutrophil migration that occur upon B(1) receptor activation in streptozotocin-treated rats, a model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in which the B(1) receptor seems to be rapidly overexpressed. Although it is widely accepted that the blockade of kinin receptors with specific antagonists could be of benefit in the treatment of somatic and visceral inflammation and pain, recent molecular and functional evidence suggests that the activation of B(1) receptors with an agonist may afford a novel therapeutic approach in the CNS inflammatory demyelinating disorder encountered in multiple sclerosis by reducing immune cell infiltration (T-lymphocytes) into the brain. Hence, the B(1) receptor may exert either a protective or detrimental effect depending on the inflammatory disease. This dual function of the B(1) receptor deserves to be investigated further.

Pharmacological characterization of the cardiovascular responses elicited by kinin B(1) and B(2) receptor agonists in the spinal cord of streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Kinin receptor agonists and antagonists at the B(1) and B(2) receptors were injected intrathecally (i.t., at T-9 spinal cord level) to conscious unrestrained rats and their effects on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were compared in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats (65 mg kg(-1) STZ, i.p. 3 weeks earlier) and aged-matched control rats. The B(1) receptor agonist, des-Arg(9)-Bradykinin (BK) (3.2 - 32.5 nmol), evoked dose-dependent increases in MAP and tachycardia during the first 10 min post-injection in STZ-diabetic rats only. The cardiovascular response to 6.5 nmol des-Arg(9)-BK was reversibly blocked by the prior i.t. injection of antagonists for the B(1) receptor ([des-Arg(10)]-Hoe 140, 650 pmol or [Leu(8)]-des-Arg(9)-BK, 65 nmol) and B(2) receptor (Hoe 140, 81 pmol or FR173657, 81 pmol) or by indomethacin (5 mg kg(-1), i.a.). The i.t. injection of BK (8.1 - 810 pmol) induced dose-dependent increases in MAP which were accompanied either by tachycardiac (STZ-diabetic rats) or bradycardiac (control rats) responses. The pressor response to BK was significantly greater in STZ-diabetic rats. The cardiovascular response to 81 pmol BK was reversibly blocked by 81 pmol Hoe 140 or 81 pmol FR173657 but not by B(1) receptor antagonists nor by indomethacin in STZ-diabetic rats. The data suggest that the activation of kinin B(1) receptor in the spinal cord of STZ-diabetic rats leads to cardiovascular changes through a prostaglandin mediated mechanism. Thus, this study affords an accessible model for studying the expression, the pharmacology and physiopathology of the B(1) receptor in the central nervous system.

Brain sites involved in the antinociceptive effect of bradykinin in rats

The localization of brain sites where bradykinin (BK) induces its antinociceptive effect in rats, was studied using as index the threshold for the jaw-opening reflex elicited by the dental pulp electrical stimulation test (DPEST). The microinjection of BK into the lateral or fourth cerebral ventricles induced an antinociceptive effect, with Index of Antinociception (IA) of 0.51+/-0.03 and 0.68+/-0.05, respectively. However, microinjections of the peptide into the third ventricle induced a less marked antinociception (IA = 0.28+/-0.08). The brain sites where the microinjection of BK caused an antinociceptive effect were: locus coeruleus, principal nucleus, oral part of the spinal sensorial trigeminal nucleus, and the sensory root of the trigeminal nerve. The antinociceptive effect was more intense when BK (4-16 nmol) was injected into the locus coeruleus. Microinjection of BK (4 nmol) into the fourth ventricle, but not into the locus coeruleus, induced an increase in blood pressure. The microinjection of the peptide into the nucleus tractus solitarius, a site that is also involved in the pressor effect of BK, did not induce an antinociceptive effect. These results indicate that the antinociceptive effect of BK is not related to blood pressure changes. The microinjection of BK into some of the sites involved in the mechanisms of analgaesia, including the periaqueductal gray matter (dorsal, lateral and ventrolateral) and the dorsal raphe nucleus did not induce an antinociceptive effect. The results suggest that the most likely brain sites involved in the antinociceptive effect of BK are the locus coeruleus and the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus. The present results did not exclude the involvement of other brain sites surrounding the lateral and the third ventricles.

Central involvement of kinin B1 and B2 receptors in the febrile response induced by endotoxin in rats

1. The effect of central injection of selective kinin B1 and B2 receptor antagonists on the febrile response induced by endotoxin (E. coli lipopolysaccharide, LPS) in rats was investigated. 2. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of a selective B2 receptor antagonist (Hoe-140, 8 nmol) reduced the early (0-2 h), but increased the late phase (4-6 h) of the febrile response induced by intravenous (i.v.) injection of LPS (0.5 microgram kg-1). 3. Co-administration of Hoe-140 (8 nmol, i.c.v.) with LPS (0.5 microgram kg-1, i.v.), followed 2.5 h later by the i.c.v. injection of a selective B1 receptor antagonist [des-Arg9-Leu8]-bradykinin (BK, 8 nmol), significantly reduced the febrile response induced by LPS throughout the whole experimental period. 4. Intravenous injection of Hoe-140 (1 mg kg-1) significantly reduced the febrile response induced by LPS (0.5 microgram kg-1, i.p.). 5. Pretreatment (24 h) with LPS (0.5 microgram kg-1, i.v.) reduced the febrile response induced by BK or [Tyr8]-BK (both, 5 nmol, i.c.v.), but markedly increased the febrile response induced by [des-Arg9]-BK (5 nmol, i.c.v.). The response induced by [des-Arg9]-BK in LPS-pretreated rats was significantly inhibited by co-injection of [des-Arg9-Leu8]-BK (15 nmol, i.c.v.). 6. The results suggest that kinins are involved in the induction of LPS-induced fever and that central B2 and B1 receptors are activated during the initial and late phase of this response, respectively. The results also suggest that downregulation and/or desensitization of B2 receptors and induction and/or upregulation of B1 receptors in LPS-pretreated animals may have a significant pathophysiological role in the induction and maintenance of fever. These observations may be specifically important in the case of chronic inflammatory conditions, because the BK metabolite [des-Arg9]-BK, so far considered an inactive metabolite, acquires an active and relevant role with the progressive expression of B1 receptors that occurs in such states.