Epoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid inhibit vasopressin response in toad bladder

In addition to cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways, the kidney can also metabolize arachidonic acid by a NADPH-dependent cytochrome P-450 enzyme to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs); furthermore, 5,6-EET has been shown to alter electrolyte transport across isolated renal tubules. We examined the effects of three EETs (5,6-, 11, 12-, and 14,15-EET) on osmotic water flow across toad urinary bladder. All three EETs reversibly inhibited vasopressin-stimulated osmotic water flow with 5,6- and 11,12-EET being the most potent. The effects appeared to be independent of prostaglandins. EETs inhibited the water flow response to forskolin but not (with the exception of 11,12-EET) the response to adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) or 8-BrcAMP, consistent with an effect on cAMP generation. For 11,12-EET the question of an additional inhibition at a site beyond or independent of cAMP has to be considered. To determine whether these effects were due to the EETs or to products of their metabolism, we examined the effects of their vicinal diol hydrolysis products, the dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids. Nonenzymatic conversion of labeled 5,6-EET to its vicinal diol occurred rapidly in the buffer, whereas 11,12-EET was hydrolyzed in a saturable manner only when incubated in the presence of bladder tissue. The dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids formed inhibited water flow in a manner paralleling that of the EETs. Both 5,6-EET and 11,12-EET (10(-5) M) prevented the increase in intracellular cAMP content observed in control tissues after vasopressin stimulation. Finally, 11,12- and 14,15-dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid inhibited vasopressin- and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase in the same rank order as their inhibition of water flow.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)