A kinin is any of various structurally related

peptides Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. A polypeptide is a longer, continuous, unbranched peptide chain. Polypeptides that have a molecular mass of 10,000 Dalton (unit), Da or more are called proteins. Chains of fewer t ...

, such as

bradykinin Bradykinin (BK) (from Greek ''brady-'' 'slow' + ''-kinin'', ''kīn(eîn)'' 'to move') is a peptide that promotes inflammation. It causes arterioles to dilate (enlarge) via the release of prostacyclin, nitric oxide, and endothelium-derived hyperpo ...

and

kallidin Kallidin belongs to the family kinins, which are the peptide hormones. Kallidin is a decapeptide whose sequence is H-Lys-Arg-Pro-Pro-Gly-Phe-Ser-Pro-Phe-Arg-OH. It can be converted to bradykinin by the aminopeptidase enzyme. Effects of Kinins K ...

. They are members of the

autacoid Autacoids or autocoids are biological factors (molecules) which act like local hormones, have a brief duration, and act near their site of biosynthesis. The word ''autacoid'' comes from the Greek words "autos" (self) and "acos" (relief; i.e., dru ...

family. Kinins are peptides that are cleaved from kininogens by the process of

kallikreins Kallikreins are a subgroup of serine proteases, enzymes capable of cleaving peptide bonds in proteins. In humans, plasma kallikrein (encoded by '' KLKB1 gene'') has no known paralogue, while tissue kallikrein-related peptidases (''KLKs'') encode ...

. Kallikreins activate kinins when stimulated. It is a component of the kinin-kallikrein system. Their precursors are

kininogen Kininogens are Protein precursor, precursor proteins for Kinin, kinins, biologically active Peptide, polypeptides involved in blood coagulation, vasodilation, smooth muscle contraction, Inflammation, inflammatory regulation, and the regulation of t ...

s. Kininogens contain a 9-11 amino acid bradykinin sequence. In

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, the

plant hormone Plant hormones (or phytohormones) are signal molecules, produced within plants, that occur in extremely low concentrations. Plant hormones control all aspects of plant growth and development, including embryogenesis, the regulation of Organ (anat ...

s known as

cytokinin Cytokinins (CK) are a class of plant hormones that promote cell division, or cytokinesis, in plant roots and shoots. They are involved primarily in Cell (biology), cell growth and cellular differentiation, differentiation, but also affect apical ...

s were first called kinins; the name was changed to avoid confusion.

Effects of kinins

Kinins are short-lived peptides that cause

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...

sensation, arteriolar dilation, increase

vascular permeability Vascular permeability, often in the form of capillary permeability or microvascular permeability, characterizes the permeability of a blood vessel wall–in other words, the blood vessel wall's capacity to allow for the flow of small molecules ( ...

, and cause contractions in

smooth muscle Smooth muscle is one of the three major types of vertebrate muscle tissue, the others being skeletal and cardiac muscle. It can also be found in invertebrates and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. It is non- striated, so-called bec ...

. Kinins transmit their effects through

G protein-coupled receptors G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-(pass)-transmembrane domain receptors, 7TM receptors, heptahelical receptors, serpentine receptors, and G protein-linked receptors (GPLR), form a large protein family, group of evoluti ...

. Kinins act on

axons An axon (from Greek ἄξων ''áxōn'', axis) or nerve fiber (or nerve fibre: see spelling differences) is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, in vertebrates, that typically conducts electrical impulses known as action pot ...

to block

nerve impulses An action potential (also known as a nerve impulse or "spike" when in a neuron) is a series of quick changes in voltage across a cell membrane. An action potential occurs when the membrane potential of a specific cell rapidly rises and falls. ...

, which leads to distal muscle relaxation. They are also potent nerve stimulators which are mostly responsible for the pain sensation (and sometimes

itching An itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes a strong desire or reflex to scratch. Itches have resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itches have many similarities to pain, and while both ...

). Kinins increase vascular permeability by acting on vascular

endothelial The endothelium (: endothelia) is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the res ...

cells to cause cell contraction. Concomitantly, they induce local expression of adhesive molecules. Together they increase

white blood cell White blood cells (scientific name leukocytes), also called immune cells or immunocytes, are cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign entities. White blood cells are genera ...

adhesion and

extravasation Extravasation is the leakage of a fluid out of its contained space into the surrounding area, especially blood or blood cells from vessels. In the case of inflammation, it refers to the movement of white blood cells through the capillary wall, ...

. Kinins are rapidly inactivated by the

proteases A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products. They do ...

generated locally during the aforementioned processes. They act locally to induce

vasodilation Vasodilation, also known as vasorelaxation, is the widening of blood vessels. It results from relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, in particular in the large veins, large arteries, and smaller arterioles. Blood vessel wa ...

and contraction of smooth muscle. Kinins function as mediators for inflammatory responses by triggering the

immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...

. They are also able to regulate

cardiovascular In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart a ...

and

renal In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and right in the retrop ...

(kidney) function by mediating the effects of

ACE inhibitors Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) are a class of medication used primarily for the treatment of hypertension, high blood pressure and heart failure. This class of medicine works by causing relaxation of blood vessels as ...

. Reduced kinin activity can result in

high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...

, sodium retention, and the narrowing of blood vessels.

Aspirin Aspirin () is the genericized trademark for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions that aspirin is ...

inhibits the activation of kallenogen by interfering with the formation of the kallikrein

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

, which is essential in the process of activation.

Where kinins are produced

Kinins are mostly produced at inflamed or injured tissues of the body and human

body fluids Body fluids, bodily fluids, or biofluids, sometimes body liquids, are liquids within the Body (biology), body of an organism. In lean healthy adult men, the total body water is about 60% (60–67%) of the total Human body weight, body weight; it ...

. Kinin peptides (kallidin and bradykinin) are located in human

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

and

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penile meatus (mal ...

Kinin receptors

There are two types of kinin receptors: B1 and B2. Both are G-protein coupled receptors in which B2 are expressed in various tissues and B1 are induced from inflammation, tissue injuries, and stress. The human body contains more B2 receptors than B1 receptors. B1 and B2 receptors are essentially related as homologous genes. Both have the same cellular signaling pathways, although their patterns are different in intensity and duration; the B1 signaling pathway lasts longer than the B2 signaling pathway.

History

Kinin was initially discovered by J.E. Abelous and E. Bardier in 1909 while performing experiments where human body fluids, such as urine, were injected into dogs. The resulting observations state that the urine caused a reduction in blood pressure.

References

External links

The kinin-forming system at nic.sav.sk
{{Neuropeptides Kinin–kallikrein system 1900s neologisms