In vitro prostacyclin production in the hemolytic-uremic syndrome

Reports from Europe suggest that the hemolytic-uremic syndrome is associated with an impaired ability to produce prostacyclin (prostaglandin [PG] I(2)), a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. In comparing the production of PGI(2) by cultured endothelial cells using serum obtained from 22 children with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome with values obtained using serum from 22 normal children, we found that cultured endothelial cells produced less PGF(1alpha) (the stable metabolite of PGI(2)) when incubated with affected serum. The relationship of this observation to the pathogenesis of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome is unclear.