Abstract
The ability of rabbit fetal membranes to convert arachidonic acid to both lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase products was studied by separation and identification of products derived from incubations of 1- 14 C-arachidonate with subcellular fractions obtained by differential centrifugation of tissue homogenates. Both amnion and splanchnopleure (the chorion-equivalent of the rabbit) produced a mixture of 11-, 12-, and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids when stimulated by calcium ions; these products were produced in greater quantity in middle pregnancy (20–22d) than later (28–30d). Cyclooxygenase products included PGD 2, PGE 2, TxB 2 and PGF 2α, all of which were made more actively in late pregnancy than the middle in both amnion (which was more active) and chorion-equivalent. These data suggest that arachidonate metabolism by rabbit fetal membranes in middle pregnancy is directed primarily toward production of monohydroxy fatty acids, but that as pregnancy nears term, the PG-producing enzymes are induced, preparing the uterine smooth muscle for parturition.
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