Adv Exp Med Biol
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The effect of bradykinin (BK) and some analogues of BK on the human blister base was studied. BK produced reproducible dose-related increases in pain responses. A characteristic delay, which was not dose-related occurred between application of BK and the resultant response. ⋯ The B1 receptor antagonist des-Arg9-Leu8-BK was without effect against BK-induced responses. The B2-receptor antagonists, D-Arg-Arg-Pro-Hyp-Gly-Thi-Ser-D-Phe-Thi-Arg-TFA and D-Pro-Phe-Arg-heptylamide produced significant antagonism of the bradykinin-induced pain responses at doses which had no effect against 5-hydroxytryptamine or potassium chloride. It is concluded that the kinin receptor mediating pain on the human blister base is of the B2 type.
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Serum copper (Cu) concentration was evaluated as an index of lung injury in two rat models of pneumotoxicity: hemithoracic irradiation and monocrotaline ingestion. In both models there was a dose- and time-dependent increase in serum Cu concentration. This hypercupremia paralleled the development of pulmonary endothelial dysfunction (decreased lung plasminogen activator activity and increased prostacyclin production) and pulmonary fibrosis (hydroxyproline accumulation). ⋯ In both models, some but not all modifiers of lung damage (penicillamine, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, pentoxifylline) also partially prevented the insult-induced hypercupremia. In contrast, serum iron concentration was largely independent of treatment in all experiments. These data suggest that elevated serum copper concentration is an accurate and minimally invasive index of lung injury in irradiated and monocrotaline-treated rats.