Carbon monoxide is not responsible for the cigarette smoke-induced changes in the pulmonary metabolism of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2.

Cigarette smoke is known to interfere with the pulmonary metabolism of arachidonic acid and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). We investigated the possible role of carbon monoxide in these cigarette smoke-induced alterations. 14C-Arachidonic acid (50 nmol) was infused into the pulmonary circulation of isolated perfused hamster lungs, and the radioactive metabolites in the perfusion effluent, as well as the distribution of incorporated radioactive arachidonic acid within the lung lipids, were analysed. Carbon monoxide, added into the ventilatory air, had no effect on the oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid or on the distribution of radioactive arachidonic acid within the lung. In addition, carbon monoxide had no effect on the metabolism of PGE2 following infusion of 100 nmol of 14C-PGE2 into the rat pulmonary circulation. The present study suggests that carbon monoxide is not responsible for the cigarette smoke-induced changes in the pulmonary metabolism of arachidonic acid and PGE2.