Effect of the bradykinin 1 receptor antagonist SSR240612 after oral administration in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected mice.

The role, if any, played by the kinin system in tuberculosis infection models, either in vivo or in vitro, was investigated. The effects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection on C57BL/6 wild type, BR-/-, BR-/- and double BR/BR knockout mice were evaluated. Immunohistochemistry analysis was carried out to assess BR and BR expression in spleens and lungs of M. tuberculosis-infected mice. In addition, in vitro experiments with M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages were performed. The in vivo effects of HOE-140 and SSR240612 on the mice model of infection were also evaluated. Infected BR-/- mice exhibited increased splenomegaly, whereas decreased spleen weight in infected double BR/BR knockout mice was observed. The bacterial load, determined as colony-forming units, did not differ in the spleens and lungs of the studied mouse strains. Importantly, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that BR was upregulated in both spleens and lungs of infected mice. M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages incubated with SSR240612, alone or in combination with des-Arg-BK, for four days, displayed a marked inhibitory effect on CFU counts. However, the pre-incubation of the selective BR (des-Arg-BK and SSR240612) and BR (BK and HOE-140) agonists and antagonists, respectively, did not significantly affect the bacterial loads. A statistically significant reduction in the CFU of M. tuberculosis in lungs and spleens of animals treated with SSR240612, but not with HOE-140, was observed. Further efforts should be pursued to clarify whether or not SSR240612 might be considered an option for the treatment of tuberculosis.