EVIDENCE THAT T-KININ DOES NOT MEDIATE PAW SWELLING INDUCED BY CARRAGEENIN : STUDIES WITH PLASMA HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT KININOGEN AND LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT KININOGEN DEFICIENT RATS

Paw swelling induced by carrageenin was compared in Brown Norway Kitasato rats (normal) and Brown Norway Kitasato rats, deficient in HMW and LMW kininogens. The increase in the paw volume of the former after the carrageenin injection was about 50-70% of the initial volume, whereas that of the latter was about 10%. Pretreatment with captopril, a kininase inhibitor, enhanced the edema significantly in the former but had no effect in the latter. The T-kininogen level in the plasmas of both strains increased gradually and peaked on the 2nd day at 10 times of the control level. But the paw swelling peaked at 4-5 hours after the carrageenin injection. These results indicate that bradykinin but not T-kinin induces paw swelling by plasma exudation.