6-Keto prostaglandin F1 alpha production in endothelial-cell cultures in response to normal and diabetic human serum.

Prostacyclin, being a potent vasodilator and platelet aggregation inhibitor, is of interest because of its possible relationship to microangiopathy associated with diabetes and other vascular diseases. Using a radioimmunoassay for the stable product of prostacyclin breakdown (6-keto PGF1 alpha) we have examined the ability of serum from diabetic patients to stimulate prostacyclin production in human endothelial cells. Results in the study of the effects of human serum on prostacyclin production by endothelial cells showed that there was a highly significant difference between diabetics and controls, with diabetic serum causing much lower prostacyclin production from cultured cells. The effect of serum in this study was not dependent on the age or sex of the donor.