Evidence for the promoting role of the intra-uterine kinin release in the development of late hypertonic saline-induced abortion.

Blood plasma kininogen (K), kininases (KS), kallikrein (KK), prekallikrein (PKK), and PGF2a were estimated in the common circulation of pregnant women during late saline-induced abortion and also in retroplacental blood after foetus delivery. The results provide evidence for intra-uterine kinin release from circulating blood K by locally activated KK from the very beginning of abortion. The greatest kinin release coincided with the strongest KS activity decrease at the time of foetus delivery.

Kininase of the Latrodectus tredecimguttatus venom: a study of its enzyme substrate specificity.

The specificity of the peptide hydrolyzing action of a highly purified preparation of kininase from Latrodectus Tredecimguttatus venom was studied by the method of TLC on silica gel with the use of various synthetic peptides as substrates. It was shown that the enzyme cleaves the -Pro(7)-Phe(8)-bonds in BK and AI molecules liberating, correspondingly, the C-terminal dipeptide and tripeptide. Exopeptidase specificity was not revealed in the enzyme activity with the use of a number of free and N-substituted tri- and pentapeptides.

[The intravascular formation of kinins in the brain studied as a new approach to the problem of the re-circulatory complications in the surgical treatment of cerebral ischemia].

The improvement of blood supply in the ischemic brain (post-ischemic cerebral reperfusion), which results from surgical treatment, has been shown to improve the neurological status only in the patients who had no lower baseline levels of kininogens (the production of free kinins) in cerebral circulation. Poor surgical outcomes were noted in the cases wherein there was preoperative activated kinin production when blood passed through the brain. Postischemic brain reperfusion was concurrent with kinin production in the cerebral vascular bed in all examinees, but in patients with postoperative complications this process is more active and involves the two kinin-forming systems tissue and plasma ones.

Kininogen consumption in cerebral circulation of humans during brain ischemia and postischemic reperfusion.

1. Total kininogen, high molecular weight kininogen and low molecular weight kininogen were quantitated as bradykinin equivalents in the blood flowing to and from the brain in patients with stenotic and occlusive carotid damage in the course of neurosurgical treatment. Although considerable improvement in blood supply of ischemic brain areas was established after surgery in all patients, improvement in postoperative neurological status was seen only in four patients (group I), while in six cases there were no or negative neurological changes (group II).

Kinetics of Lys-bradykinin release by porcine pancreatic kallikrein from rabbit low molecular weight kininogen.

The initial rates of Lys-bradykinin release by porcine pancreatic kallikrein from rabbit low molecular weight kininogen are found to follow the Michaelis-Menten kinetics with kc = 0.62 sec-1 and Km = 1.93 microM at substrate concentrations 0.