Transport of prostaglandins through normal and diabetic rat hepatocytes.

Transport of alprostadil (prostaglandin E1) and dinoprost (prostaglandin F2 alpha) was studied in enzymatically dispersed normal and streptozocin-treated rat hepatocytes prepared by collagenase perfusion. Cell suspensions incubated at 37 degrees were sampled at time intervals for a period of 5 min and the supernatant analyzed for prostaglandins after centrifugation. The data analysis employed a theory and a model for solute transfer at the cell membrane-water interphase. Biophysical parameters such as the effective partition and the apparent permeability constants were used to define the transport mechanism. The apparent permeability coefficient of alprostadil and dinoprost transfer through normal hepatocytes was calculated to be 5 X 10(-3) and 3 X 10(-3) cm/sec with a mean partition coefficient of 1345 and 764 for both solutes, respectively. The permeability coefficient of alprostadil and dinoprost transfer through diabetic hepatocytes were 3 X 10(-3) and 2 X 10(-3) cm/sec with partition coefficient of 572 and 206, respectively. The results showed differences in prostaglandin transport between normal and diabetic hepatocytes, resulting from morphological and lipid alteration in the cytoplasmic membrane.