Effects of protein malnutrition on metabolism of arachidonic acid in rat stomach and spleen

The effects of protein malnutrition (PM) on the biosynthesis of the metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) in rat stomach and spleen were studied. The major metabolites were 6-oxo-PGF1a in stomach and PGD2 and 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) in spleen. They were measured quantitatively by HPLC with a radioactivity detector and by GC-MS. PM in rats resulted in a reduction in the synthesis of 6-oxo-PGF1a in stomach and PGD2 in spleen by l.2% and 40%. respectively. The synthesis of 12-HETE in spleen was also reduced by 31% as a result of PM. Indomethacin inhibited the formation of PGD2 in spleen in a dose-dependent manner and its effect was not altered by PM, but at any given concentration the amount of metabolites was less in PM rats than that in the control. Thus the enhanced ulcerogenic effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in PM rats may have been due to the lower level of PGs with cytoprotective effects on gastric mucosa.