Comparison of the urinary metabolites of prostacyclin and thromboxane of the 2- and 3-series in a Japanes fishing and a Japanes farming village

Abstract

We measured PGI 2-, PGI 3-, and TXA 2 3 - M (the main urinary metabolites of prostacyclin and thromoxane of the two and three series) in 24-hour urine in a fishing village (21 participants) and a farming village (19 participants) in Japan, expecting to find more PGI 3-M in the fishing village than in the farming village. The food consumption for three consecutive days prior to a blood collection was recorded and analyzed for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content. Urine was collected for 24 hours prior to the blood sampling. When our studies were performed (April, 1985), catches of fish were the lowest on record around the fishing village, and the consumption of EPA in the fishing village was less than half of that in the farming village. EPA levels in red cell membrane phospholipids were higher in the fishing village than in the farming village. PGI 2-, PGI 3-, and TXA 2 2 - M levels were higher in the farming village than in the fishing village. There was a significant correlation between PGI 2- and PGI 3-M (r=0.80, n=40) and between PGI 3-M and the EPA consumption during the day urine collection (r=0.52), n=40). We conclude that PGI 3 production is probably dependent less on the levels of EPA in tissues estimated by the EPA levles in red cell membranes than on the EPA consumption at the moment.