Separation of prostaglandins, thromboxane, hydroxy fatty acids and arachidonic acid by high pressure liquid chromatography.

Separation of the major metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) produced by the cyclo-oxygenase and the lipoxygenases was achieved by using reverse phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. Prostaglandins (PGs), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), and AA were separated on a C-18 radial compression column. An initial isocratic elution resolved the PGs and TXB2 which was followed by a linear gradient in order to elute AA. Variations of the gradient elution shape were required to permit the separation of 12-L-hydroxy-5,8,10-heptadecatrienoic acid, 5-12 and 15-hydroxy-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid. The recovery of the labeled AA and its metabolites was investigated. Use of these separation methods and radiolabeled substrates should permit investigators to obtain reproducibly in one chromatographic run adequate separation and quantitation of both PGs and hydroxy fatty acid systems.