High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of prostaglandins formed during in vitro incubations with prostaglandin 15-dehydrogenase.

Dinoprost, dinoprostone, and prostaglandin E1 were each separated from their major 15-keto metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography on a microparticulate, bonded, reversed-phase column after conversion to their p-bromophenacyl esters. Detection and simultaneous quantitation of prostaglandins in 1.0 ml of a 5-muM solution is possible. The method was applied to monitor prostaglandins formed during in vitro incubations with prostaglandin 15-dehydrogenase from monkey lungs. The advantages of this technique for assessing enzyme purity and activity are discussed.