Hemokinin-1 and substance P stimulate production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in human colonic mucosa via both NK and NK tachykinin receptors.

There is increasing focus on the involvement of tachykinins in immune and inflammatory responses. Hemokinin-1 (HK-1) is a recently identified tachykinin that originates primarily from immune cells, and has structural similarities to substance P (SP), found mainly in neurons. However, there are species differences in HK-1, and the role of HK-1 in humans, particularly the intestine, has received minimal attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the inflammatory role of human HK-1 in the human colon. The effects of HK-1 and SP were compared on the production of multiple inflammatory cytokines and chemokines from human colonic mucosal explants. Data generated by Procarta multiplex assay and QuantiGene assay demonstrated that 4 h incubation with HK-1 (0.1 μM) significantly stimulated transcript expression and release of MCP-1, MIP-1α and β, RANTES, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 from the mucosa. SP (0.1 μM) had comparable actions, but had no effect on MCP-1 or RANTES. These effects were inhibited separately by tachykinin NK and NK receptor antagonists SR140333 and SR48968 (both 0.1 μM), suggesting that these responses were mediated by both NK1 and NK2 receptors. In conclusion, these data support a novel inflammatory role for HK-1 in human colon, signaling via NK1 and NK2 receptors (and possibly other tachykinin-preferring receptors) to regulate the release of a broad spectrum of proinflammatory mediators. The study suggests that along with SP, HK-1 is also a proinflammatory mediator, likely involved in colonic inflammation, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).