Measurement of prostaglandins and other eicosanoids

Eicosanoids are arachidonic acid metabolites formed through the cyclooxygenase or one of the lipoxygenase metabolic pathways. They include the prostaglandins (PG), leukotrienes (LT), thromboxanes (Tx), peptidoleukotrienes, and 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE). This unit describes procedures for measuring individual eicosanoids using several commercial kits. These include kits for an enzyme immunoasssay (ELISA) and a radioimmunoassay (RIA). A method is also described that can be used to analyze the full range of eicosanoids produced in a biological system, and a support protocol presents an acetone/chloroform extraction method for purifying eicosanoids prior to assay. Another support protocol describes a different extraction protocol in which samples are run over an octadecylsilyl silica column.