Surfactant stimulates prostaglandin E production in human amnion

Discs of human amnion prepared from nine women delivered by elective caesarean section at term were incubated with and without purified human amniotic fluid surfactant (9 micrograms lipid P/ml), and the output of prostaglandin E (PGE) was estimated by radioimmunoassay. Surfactant stimulated the release of PGE from 3.8 (SD 2.9) to 5.4 (SD 2.5) pmol/mg dry weight/3 h (P less than 0.01). Arachidonic acid accounted for 2% of the fatty acids of surfactant lecithin. These results show that surfactant has a stimulatory effect on amniotic PGE production and that it is an important source of arachidonic acid in amniotic fluid.