5-hydroxy-6-8-11-14-eicosatetraenoic-acid and 5-6-epoxy-8-11-14-eicosatrienoic-acid

The effect of arachidonic acid and some of its metabolites have been examined in rat anterior pituitary cells for their ability to release growth hormone. The cytochrome P-450 metabolite, 5,6-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid is a much more effective growth-hormone releasing agent than 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid methyl ester, 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid or arachidonic acid. The release of growth hormone is rapid, dose-dependent and reaches an apparent saturation after eight minutes. These studies described herein provide evidence that lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase products of arachidonic acid are less potent while cytochrome P-450 products are more potent in the release of growth hormone from anterior pituitary cells.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Cells, Cultured; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Female; Growth Hormone; Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acids; Kinetics; Pituitary Gland, Anterior; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344

Arachidonic acid is metabolized to three distinct classes of metabolites: cyclooxygenase produces prostaglandins, prostacyclins, and thromboxanes; lipoxygenase produces hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acids and, epoxygenase, a NADPH-dependent cytochrome P-450 enzyme, produces epoxyeicosatrienoic acids. Addition of 5,6-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (5,6-EET) to GH3 cells, a rat anterior pituitary cell line, produces a rapid, dose-dependent stimulation of prolactin (PRL) release. Incubation with arachidonic acid (AA) was ineffective at increasing PRL release. The lipoxygenase metabolite 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE), however, increased PRL release from GH3 cells but with a much lower maximal response than 5,6-EET. We examined the role of metabolism inhibitors in 5,6-EET-mediated PRL release. Microsomal and cytosolic epoxide hydrolase (EH) inhibitors do not alter 5,6-EET-induced PRL release, suggesting that EH does not play a significant role in 5,6-EET mediated PRL release from GH3 cells. A chemical analog of 5,6-EET wherein the epoxide oxygen is replaced with a sulfur to afford 5,6-thioepoxyeicosatrienoic acid was also tested and found to stimulate the release of PRL, although not to the same extent as 5,6-EET. Although 5-HETE tends to increase PRL release from GH3 cells, 5,6-EET is significantly more potent at the stimulation of PRL release from GH3 cells.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Cell Line; Epoxide Hydrolases; Epoxy Compounds; Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acids; Pituitary Gland, Anterior; Prolactin; Rats