Quantitative determination of prostaglandins E1, E2 and E3 in frog tissue.

A method was developed for quantitative determination of endogenous production of prostaglandin (PG)E1, PGE2 and PGE3 by Rana temporaria lung, heart and urinary bladder homogenates, since these tissues contain the precursors, 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic, arachidonic and 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acids. Following homogenization and shaking at 22 degrees C for 30 min, media were extracted by XAD-2, treated with sodium hydroxide in order to convert PGE compounds into PGB compounds, purified by thin-layer chromatography, and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with homo-PGE1 as an internal standard. The ratio of prostaglandins E1, E2 and E3 compared to the ratio of fatty acid precursors in tissue suggested that the tissue content of precursor is not the only factor determining the type of prostaglandin synthesized.