Receptors for bradykinin in rabbit aortae

Abstract

Rabbit aorta strips respond to bradykinin (BK) and to the C-terminal fragment of BK, the octapeptide 1-8 BK (Octa) with sustained contractions which are presumably due to the stimulation of specific receptors, because they remain unchanged in presence of phentolamine, methysergide, mepyramine, 8-Leu-ATII, and indomethacin. Experimental dose–response curves of BK and Octa are very similar to the theoretical curves predicted by the mass-action law and show the classical hyperbolic shape; ratios of doses producing 16% and 84% of maximum effects are 1:20 for Octa and 1:19 for BK. The relations of stimulus and effect are linear, suggesting that the extents of the contractions are proportional to the number of receptors occupied by the agonists.Structure–activity studies performed with fragments and analogues of BK and with analogues of Octa have shown that 8-Phe is essential for activation of the aortic receptor, and plays an important role for the affinity. The octapeptide 1-8 sequence is more favorable than the nonapeptide, because BK (pD2 = 6.40) is less potent than Octa (pD2 = 7.19) and 9-Ala BK is a partial agonist.Antagonists for both Octa and BK have been found by replacing 8-Phe with aliphatic residues (Ala, Nle, Leu, Leu-OMe) in the octapeptide. Affinities of 8-Leu-Octa (pA2 = 6.75) and 8-Leu-OMe-Octa (pA2 = 6.66) for the aortic receptors are fairly high and the antagonism appears to be of the competitive type because pA2 – pA10 is close to 0.95 for both compounds.The inhibitory effect of these two compounds are specific for Octa and BK. It is concluded that rabbit aortae contain a new type of receptor for BK, different from those found in the intestine and the uterus of several species.