This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 47/4/752    most recent 01.HYP.0000214867.35632.0ev1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Xia, C.-F. Articles by Chao, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Xia, C.-F. Articles by Chao, J. Pubmed/NCBI databases Gene GEO Profiles HomoloGene UniGene Substance via MeSH Related Collections Animal models of human disease Acute Cerebral Infarction

(Hypertension. 2006;47:752.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Articles

Postischemic Brain Injury Is Exacerbated in Mice Lacking the Kinin B2 Receptor

Chun-Fang Xia; Robert S. Smith, Jr; Bo Shen; Zhi-Rong Yang; Cesar V. Borlongan; Lee Chao; Julie Chao

From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (C.-F.X., R.S.S., B.S., Z.-R.Y., L.C., J.C.), Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston; and Department of Neurology and Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics (C.V.B.), Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.

Correspondence to Julie Chao, PhD, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC 29425. E-mail chaoj{at}musc.edu

Kallikrein cleaves low molecular weight kininogen to generate vasoactive kinins, which bind to the kinin B2 receptor, triggering a host of biological effects. Kallikrein gene delivery has been shown previously to reduce ischemia/reperfusion-induced cerebral infarction. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the kinin B2 receptor plays a protective role in ischemic brain injury using kinin B2 receptor gene knockout (B2R-KO) mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The mortality rate and neurological deficit scores of B2R-KO mice (n=48) after MCAO were significantly increased compared with wild-type (WT) mice (n=40) when examined over a 14-day period. In addition, the infarct volume in B2R-KO mice was significantly larger than in WT mice at days 1 and 3 after MCAO. Similarly, apoptotic cells, detected by TUNEL labeling counterstained with propidium iodide, and caspase-3 activity in the ischemic brain increased significantly in B2R-KO mice at days 1 and 3 after MCAO. Furthermore, the accumulation of neutrophils in the ischemic brain of B2R-KO mice after MCAO increased when compared with WT mice and was associated with elevated tumor necrosis factor expression. These alterations in B2R-KO mice correlated with decreased NO levels, Akt, and glycogen synthase kinase-3ß phosphorylation and increased nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide oxidase activity. These results indicate that the kinin B2 receptor promotes survival and protects against brain injury by suppression of apoptosis and inflammation induced by ischemic stroke.

Key Words: kinins • stroke • apoptosis • cerebral ischemia • receptors, bradykinin

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Sanchez de Miguel, S. Neysari, S. Jakob, M. Petrimpol, N. Butz, A. Banfi, C. E. Zaugg, R. Humar, and E. J. Battegay B2-kinin receptor plays a key role in B1-, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor-, and vascular endothelial growth factor-stimulated in vitro angiogenesis in the hypoxic mouse heart Cardiovasc Res, July 21, 2008; (2008) cvn170v2. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Kleinschnitz, M. Austinat, M. Bader, T. Renne, and G. Stoll Deficiency of Bradykinin Receptor B2 Is not Detrimental in Experimental Stroke Hypertension, May 1, 2008; 51(5): e41 - e41. [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Gailani and T. Renne Intrinsic Pathway of Coagulation and Arterial Thrombosis Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., December 1, 2007; 27(12): 2507 - 2513. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Kakoki, R. W. McGarrah, H.-S. Kim, and O. Smithies Bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors both have protective roles in renal ischemia/reperfusion injury PNAS, May 1, 2007; 104(18): 7576 - 7581. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]