Human cholecystitis is associated with increased gallbladder prostaglandin I2 and prostaglandin E2 synthesis.

Microsomal prostanoid synthesis was compared in normal gallbladders removed during organ donation and inflamed gallbladders removed at cholecystectomy. Normal human gallbladder microsomes demonstrated low rates of conversion of [14C]arachidonic acid to total labeled prostanoids, which increased during 1 to 30 min of incubation. Normal human gallbladder microsomes converted labeled substrate to all primary prostaglandins without demonstration of a major product. Inflamed human gallbladder microsomes increased the rate of conversion of [14C]arachidonic acid to total labeled prostanoids two or three times over the levels demonstrated by normal gallbladder microsomes at all times of incubation (p < 0.01). The main prostanoids synthesized by the inflamed human gallbladder microsomes were prostaglandin E2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, which were increased four times over the levels demonstrated by normal gallbladder microsomes (p < 0.01). These data showed that inflammation of the human gallbladder was associated with increased synthesis of gallbladder 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha and prostaglandin E2.