title: The contribution of hepatocytes to prostaglandin synthesis in rat liver.
abstract: The contribution of hepatocytes to liver prostaglandin (PG) synthesis Is not clear. We compared prostaglandin synthesis in homogenates of whole liver, freshly isolated hepatocytes, and mixed non-parenchymal cells from the same rat livers, and optimized the assay. Whole liver homogenates made 27.2 +/- 7.1 mg PGE2/mg protein/5 min (+/- SEM, n = 4 livers). Hepatocyte homogenates made 39 +/- 9% as much PGE2/mg protein as did the matched whole livers. Non-parenchymal cell homogenates made slightly more PGE2 than whole liver, but much more PGD2. Subsequent studies showed that fresh hepatocyte suspensions contain significant contamination with non-parenchymal cells. Homogenates from ricin-purified hepatocyte monolayers made at least half as much PGE2 as did conventional monolayers. However, taking cellular purity into account, hepatocytes must contain much less than a third of liver cyclooxygenase activity.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017364:Collagenases / Q000494:pharmacology; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004926:Escherichia coli; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012276:Ricin
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D011506:Proteins; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D012276:Ricin; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D017364:Collagenases; D015232:Dinoprostone