BAEE esterase (kallikrein-like) activity in parotid saliva of normal rats and rats with various forms of experimental hypertension (genuine, renovascular and DOCA salt hypertension).

A technique for continuous and quantitative collection of parotid saliva including salivary flow rate determination for in vitro experiments in rats is described. Kallikrein-like activity in parotid saliva of rats with various forms of arterial hypertension (genuine, renovascular and DOCA salt hypertension) was studied. Kallikrein-like excretion was measured by its estoerolytic activity using benzoyl arginine ethyl ester (BAEE) as a substrate. The levels of kallikrein-like activity in parotid saliva of normotensive control rats ranged between 2.5 and 4.0 mU/min during salivary flow stimulation with pilocarpine. In all forms of experimental hypertension kallikrein-like activity in saliva was increased two-to fourfold. This increase was not related to the activity of the renin-angiotensin system.