A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF THE PLASMA KININS, BRADYKININ AND KALLIDIN, ON MYOCARDIAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM

Abstract

Using a heated thermocouple technique it was shown that the plasma kinins, kallidin (lys-bradykinin) and bradykinin, increased myocardial blood flow, when given either by single injection or by continuous slow infusion, in the rabbit, cat, dog, monkey and chimpanzee. In every experiment systemic arterial blood pressure and myocardial vascular resistance fell by an amount related to the log of the dose of the kinin administered. These effects were seen with quite small doses of bradykinin and kallidin and demonstrate that the myocardial vascular bed is very sensitive to these plasma kinins. In larger doses, bradykinin increased “corrected temperature”—the myocardial temperature change corrected for alterations in blood flow and with heat losses controlled. This response represents a stimulation of metabolic heat production which was not observed with kallidin.