Not prostacyclin synthase but prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase increases with human placental development

Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (i.e. cyclooxygenase; PGH synthase) and prostacyclin synthase (PGI synthase) were quantitated with specific immunoradiometric assays in microsomes from human placentae (n = 20) obtained from 7 up to 17 weeks of gestation. Over that period, wherein trophoblastic invasion of the uterine spiral arteries occurs, the placentae showed a significant increase in concentrations of PGH synthase (r = 0.73, p less than 0.001; n = 20), but not in those of PGI synthase. While the variation between individual placentae was much larger for PGI synthase than for PGH synthase concentrations, there was no evidence for a large excess of PGI synthase over that of PGH synthase in any of these early placentae. The data indicate, first, that the developing placenta contains PGI synthase, but in amounts which are relatively small and do not appear to increase with advancing gestation. Second, they seem to indicate that the capacity for bioconversion of arachidonic acid into prostaglandin endoperoxides increases markedly with placental development.