Metabolic Degradation of Prostaglandin E 1 in the Lung and Kidney of Rats in Endotoxin Shock 1

Summary

The metabolic degradation of PGE₁ was studied by the incubation of ³H-PGE₁ with the lung and kidney homogenates from control and endotoxemic rats. The control lung and kidney homogenates metabolized PGE₁ very rapidly, whereas the shock lung and kidney homogenates inactivated PGE₁ at considerably slower rates. It is suggested that the increased levels of prostaglandins found in animals with endotoxin shock may be partly due to the impairment of prostaglandin metabolism in the lungs and kidneys.

The authors express their gratitude to Dr. J. E. Pike, Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan for his generous supply of PGE₁.