Preferential esterification of arachidonic acid into ethanolamine phospholipids in epithelial cells from ovine endometrium.

In sheep, the pulsatile release of prostaglandin F2 alpha by the endometrium is necessary to achieve luteolysis which occurs at the end of the oestrous cycle. The production of prostaglandins is known to depend upon the availability of arachidonic acid, the fatty acid precursor of prostaglandin biosynthesis. Consequently, the mechanisms controlling intracellular amounts of arachidonate may be involved in the regulation of prostaglandin synthesis. Since arachidonic acid is mostly found in phospholipids and the endometrial epithelium is the primary source of prostaglandin F2 alpha during luteolysis, the fate of arachidonic acid when incorporated into epithelial cells from the ovine uterus was investigated. Endometrial epithelial cells isolated from cyclic ewes at day 15 after oestrus were cultured in the presence of [3H]arachidonic acid. Incorporation and distribution of the radiolabelled arachidonic acid into the various phospholipid classes were examined using HPLC. We observed that ethanolamine glycerophospholipids contained 61% of the total tritiated arachidonic acid incorporated into cellular lipids, whereas phosphatidylinositols, phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylserines contained 17%, 13% and 4.7%, respectively. In addition, the radioactivity measured within phosphatidylethanolamines was preferentially detected in the 1-alkenyl-2-acyl (44%) forms of ethanolamine phospholipids, also called plasmalogens. The kinetic study of arachidonic acid uptake into ethanolamine phospholipids showed that arachidonic acid was rapidly esterified into the diacyl forms and then uptake decreased, whereas the incorporation increased continuously into the plasmalogen forms for at least 24 h. These results demonstrate that the primary pool of esterified arachidonic acid is found in ethanolamine plasmalogens of epithelial cells from the ovine endometrium. The high arachidonate content of ethanolamine plasmalogens suggests that these phospholipids play a crucial role in the control of arachidonic acid availability and ultimately in the regulation of prostaglandin synthesis.