We studied the effect of bradykinin on ciliary activity and its modulation by peptidases in cultured rabbit tracheal epithelium in vitro. Bradykinin (10(-7) M) elicited a rapid, transient increase in ciliary beat frequency (CBF) from the baseline values of 1,031 +/- 25 to 1,388 +/- 38 beats/min (mean +/- SE, p less than 0.001), followed by a decline to a steady-state value of 1,180 +/- 30 beats/min, which was still greater than the baseline CBF. This ciliostimulation was dose-dependently inhibited by the B2-receptor antagonist (D-Arg,Hyp3,Thi5.8,D-Phe7)-bradykinin but not by the B1-receptor antagonist (Des-Arg9,Leu8)-bradykinin. Nifedipine, Ca2+-free medium, indomethacin, the phospholipase A2 inhibitor mepacrine, and the methyltransferase inhibitor 3-deazaadenosine reduced the change in CBF. Involvement of tachykinins, leukotrienes, prostaglandin D2, or thromboxane A2 was ruled out because bradykinin's action was not affected by (D-Pro2,D-Trp7.9)-substance P, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, or SQ29548, an antagonist for prostaglandin D2 and thromboxane A2. Bradykinin also increased prostaglandin E2 release (p less than 0.01), an effect that was abolished by indomethacin and Ca2+ deficiency. The CBF dose-response curve for bradykinin was shifted to lower concentrations by 1 log U by the neutral endopeptidase inhibitor phosphoramidon (p less than 0.01), whereas the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril was without effect. These results suggest that bradykinin interacts with B2-type receptors and stimulates ciliary activity through Ca2+-dependent prostaglandin E2 release, and that neutral endopeptidase may play a role in modulating the effect of bradykinin on airway mucociliary transport.