Lipid Peroxide and Lung Prostaglandins

Highly purified hydroperoxides were prepared from auto-oxidized methyl linoleate, and the effect of intravenous injections of these substances on fatty acid composition and E prostaglandin (PGE) concentration in the lungs of rats was studied. Rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain, 185 to 250 gm, were injected intravenously with the hydroperoxide preparation (20 mg/100 gm body weight) and killed after 24 hours. The level of PGE remained relatively unchanged in the lungs of animals which received the injections of hydroperoxides, in spite of extensive tissue damage. Large changes occurred in the arachidonic, oleic, and linoleic acid concentrations in lung lipid, and the biosynthetic activity of the tissue of this organ to convert arachidonic acid to protaglandin E2 was impaired.