Abstract
We studied the detection of cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase activity in rat hepatocytes. After separated hepatocytes were sonicated and centrifuged, the supernatants were used as enzyme solution which possibly contained cyclooxygenase or 5-lipoxygenase. Radiolabeled 14C-arachidonic acid were added to this enzyme solution, and then, synthesized 14C-prostaglandins E2, F2α or 14C-5-HETE, 5, 12-diHETE were measured after purification by reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatoglaphy. As a result, this enzyme solution produced prostagland in or HETE from exogeneous arachidonic acid, which indicated the existence of cyclooxygenase or 5-lipoxygenase activity in rat hepatocytes.
In this experiment, we showed that rat hepatocytes have the ability of not only metabolism and inactivation, but also production, of arachidonic acid metabolites.
