THE BROWN-NORWAY RATS AND THE KININ SYSTEM

In 1979, we found a strain of kininogen-deficient Brown Norway rats. S ince then, several studies have used these animals as negative control s of the involvement of the kinin system in physiological and pathophy siological processes. The cause of this deficiency has now been elucid ated. This article reviews studies performed with these kininogen-defi cient rats. These investigations have mainly focused on the links betw een the kinin system and the kidneys, hypertension, salivary glands, a cute inflammatory reactions, cysteine proteinase inhibition, lymphatic tissues, coagulation, and cardiovascular shock states.