Regional distribution of arachidonic acid metabolites in rat brain following convulsive stimuli.

Seizures were induced in female Wistar rats by electroconvulsive shock (ECS) or administration of pentetrazole (PTZ). Brain content of various prostanoids measured by radioimmunoassay showed time-dependent changes after the induction of convulsions; highest levels were found for PGD2 followed by PGF2 alpha, PGE2, TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. Analysis of the various arachidonic acid metabolites in seven parts of the rat brain dissected according to the method of Glowinski and Iversen revealed the largest increases in hippocampus and cerebral cortex and smaller ones also in hypothalamus and corpus striatum both after ECS and PTZ. The ratios of the different cyclo-oxygenase products remained virtually the same in whole brain as well as in those regions where the formation of prostaglandins was markedly elevated. 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGF2 alpha also increased simultaneously in parallel to its parent compound, PGF2 alpha and was detected in significant amounts only in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. However, concentrations of 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGF2 alpha in these brain regions as well as in whole brain represented only 3-10% of the amounts found for PGF2 alpha. Thus, the metabolizing enzymes 15-hydroxy-PG-dehydrogenase and delta 13-PG-reductase seem to be of minor importance for the inactivation of prostanoids in brain tissue.