Arachidonic acid metabolites of human lymphatics.

Human lymphatics convert exogenously added 14C-arachidonic acid into PGE2, PGF2 alpha and the main metabolite 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. Thromboxane formation is undetectable either by radiothinlayer-chromatography or by radioimmunology. These data confirm and extend our earlier findings indicating an important PGI2-synthetic mechanism in human lymphatics. Assuming that lymphatic contractility is regulated at least in part by thromboxane A2, we propose that this derivative of arachidonic acid derives from extralymphatic sources.