In vivo formation of hepoxilin A3 in the rat

Bolus intravenous injection of arachidonic acid (10 mg/kg) in the rat led to the appearance of hepoxilin A3 in the circulation. The product was assayed as the Me t-BDMSi derivative of its stable trihydroxy product trioxilin A3, by capillary gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry using the stable deuterium isotope dilution technique. Hepoxilin A3, was undetected in blood samples taken prior to the injection of arachidonic acid, but rapidly appeared (4.62 +/- 1.3 ng/ml blood, n = 3) within 1 minute after injection of arachidonic acid. The plasma concentration of insulin increased by 36% over the same period after injection of arachidonic acid. These experiments demonstrate for the first time the formation of this new class of insulin secretagogues in vivo and their temporal correlation with plasma insulin concentrations in vivo.