Cardiac prostaglandin formation in man.

The quantitative relationship between various prostaglandins (PGs) formed in the human heart was studied by constant-rate infusion of 14C-labeled arachidonic acid into the aortic root and simultaneous blood sampling from the coronary sinus in six healthy volunteers. After conventional extraction procedures, the various 14C-PGs formed were separated and quantitied by means of thin-layer chromatography and fractionated liquid scintillation spectrometry. Most of the arachidonic acid infused was metabolized, and well defined peaks of 14C-PG were obtained in the chromatograms. 6-keto-PGF 1 alpha constituted the main PG formed, reflecting a considerable synthesis of prostacyclin in the heart. PGs of the D, E, and F weries were formed in roughly equal amounts. In a 54-year-old subject, 6-keto-PGF 1 alpha constituted a greater proportion of PG than in the other subjects. This may reflect a general effect of aging or it may indicate the presence of ischemic heart disease in this subject.