15-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid is a potent inflammatory mediator and agonist of canine tracheal mucus secretion.

It was shown that 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) but not 15-H(P)ETE or 5-HETE is a potent agonist for secretion of glycoprotein-containing mucus from the in vivo canine trachea. Given by aerosol into the lungs or by intra-arterial injection into the trachea, 15 HETE also caused the chemotaxis of inflammatory cells into the lumen of the airways. Accompanying this inflammatory cell infiltrate was an increase (183%, p less than 0.05) of expiration of fluid in the partially saturated air coming from the lung. The levels of 15-HETE extracted from tracheal mucus correlated well with hillocks and weight of secreted mucus found in the mucus after hypoxia or after arachidonic acid loading. Indomethacin and atropine blocked the mucus secretagogue effect of 15-HETE in the trachea. Indomethacin and U-52, 412 (a 15-lipoxygenase inhibitor) pretreatment abolished a portion of the 15-HETE-induced enhancement of mucus weight and 15-HETE level in the secretion.