Metabolism of prostaglandin F-2 alpha during fasting in prepubertal gilts

The study was conducted to investigate a possible mechanism behind earlier observations of fasting-induced increases of blood concentrations of prosta glandin (PG) F-2 alpha metabolite (P-PG) in gilts, Six animals were fasted for 28 h, then administered i.v. PGF(2 alpha) (500 ng/kg body weight). Bloo d samples were withdrawn at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60 min, 2 and 3 h after the injection, A control group followed an identical protocol, exc ept that they were fed during the corresponding 28 h-period, P-PG increased as previously observed during the 28 h of fasting. The P-PG increase in te rms of area under the concentration time curve (AUC) following injection wa s significantly larger in the fasted than in the non-fasted gilts, In the f asted animals, the mean P-PG maximum concentration (C-max) was 7145 pmol/L, the corresponding value for the non-fasted animals was 4566 pmol/L. PGs ar e metabolised through beta -oxidation in the liver, The results of this stu dy imply that reduced 15-ketodihydro-PGF(2 alpha) breakdown in the liver mi ght contribute to the fasting-induced increases in P-PG.