Rise of prostanoids in rat small intestinal mucosa following intestinal protein hypersensitivity

The purpose of the present study was to establish whether there is an elevated prostaglandin concentration in the intestinal mucosa in rats suffering from an immediate type hypersensitivity reaction. Rats of the Hooded-Lister strain were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. Control rats were given adjuvant only. Prostanoid content of scraped mucosa was determined by radioimmunoassay. It was found that the prostaglandin E2 content in the sensitized intestine was significantly elevated as compared to the controls. There was no significant rise of 6-keto prostaglandin F alpha or thromboxane E2 in the sensitized rats. These results show that prostaglandin B2 participates in intestinal immediate type responses and may explain some of the clinical manifestations of food protein allergy.