Enterohepatic circulation of N-acetyl-leukotriene E4.

N-Acetyl-leukotriene E4, the end product of leukotriene C4 metabolism in the mercapturic acid pathway, was rapidly eliminated from the blood circulation into the bile of rats. Part of the N-acetyl-leukotriene E4 secreted from bile into the intestine underwent enterohepatic circulation. Leukotriene absorption occurred from the small intestine and from the colon. Biliary and urinary excretion within 5.5 h amounted to 15 and 2%, respectively, of the intraduodenally administered N-acetyl- 3H leukotriene E4 in animals anesthetized with ketamine. HPLC analyses indicated that 35% of the biliary radioactivity corresponded to unchanged N-acetyl-3H leukotriene E4, while 65% in bile and 100% in urine were polar metabolites. Enterohepatic circulation extends the biological half-life of N-acetyl-leukotriene E4.