Bradykinin and related kinins are peptidic hormones, formed in tissues and fluids during inflammation. Various functional sites have been proposed as mediators of the biological effects of kinins, including the B1, B2 and B3 receptors. The existence of the B1 and the B2 receptor has largely been confirmed, whilst that of the B3 receptor is controversial and needs further confirmation. The role of bradykinin in the pathophysiology of asthma is not well understood, but bradykinin was proposed as a putative mediator of asthma, since asthmatic subjects are hyperresponsive to bradykinin, and since immunoreactive kinins are increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of asthmatic patients. Kinins could provoke bronchoconstriction by acting directly on smooth muscle and/or indirectly by their inflammatory properties. They may also contribute to the symptomatology of allergic and viral rhinitis, since they are the only mediators detected to date that are generated in nasal secretion during experimental and natural rhinovirus colds. Moreover, they can induce relevant symptoms when applied to airway mucosa. It has also been proposed that coughing during treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors is linked to the action of kinins, since ACE is able to degrade kinins, and since the effects of ACE inhibitors are reduced by kinin antagonists. Due to their mitogenic properties, kinins have been proposed to regulate lung carcinoma growth. Their action remains speculative, but some findings are of great interest in order to define their role in these pathologies. Despite many studies in animals and in humans, the mode of action of kinins in airways is still poorly understood.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)