The effect of experimental diabetes on prostacyclin production by tissues from pregnant rats

Prostacyclin (PGI2) the major product of arachidonic acid metabolism in blood vessels has potent platelet anti-aggregatory and vasodilator activities. Recently it has been shown that PGI2 production is depressed in arterial tissue from diabetic patients. We have studied the effect of experimental diabetes on PGI2 production in both arterial and myometrial tissue from pregnant rats to determine whether myometrial PI2 production is affected in a similar way to vascular synthesis. We confirm that vascular production of PGI2 is diminished in pregnant diabetic rats but this reduction appears to be related to the duration of diabetes. However no difference was seen in myometrial PGI2 production between diabetic and control pregnant rats. It therefore appears that the effect of the diabetic state on PGI2 synthesis in this study shows a degree of selectivity.