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. 1980 Jun;77(6):3710–3714. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.6.3710

Slow reacting substances of anaphylaxis: Identification of leukotrienes C-1 and D from human and rat sources

Robert A Lewis *, K Frank Austen *, Jeffrey M Drazen *, David A Clark †, Anthony Marfat †, E J Corey †
PMCID: PMC349688  PMID: 6106193

Abstract

Slow reacting substance(s) of anaphylaxis (SRS-A) was isolated from both human (lung) and rat sources and compared with three synthetic SRS-As of known structure—leukotrienes (LTs) C-1, C-2, and D. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography was used both as a final purification step and a means of comparison of biologically derived and synthetic substances. Two major peaks of SRS-A activity of both rat and human origin corresponded chromatographically with LTC-1 and LTD, respectively, and had equivalent specific activities on the guinea pig ileum. With guinea pig ileum, the specific activities (units/pmol) for synthetic leukotrienes and anaphylactic peaks were (mean ± SEM): synthetic LTC-1, 1.93 ± 0.13; SRS-Arat peak I, 1.69 ± 0.43; synthetic LTD, 6.10 ± 1.15; SRS-Arat peak II, 7.14 ± 0.51; and SRS-Ahu peak II, 1.90. Both synthetic LTC-1 and LTD and their SRS-A natural counterparts had a preferential contractile activity on guinea pig peripheral airway compared to central airways and were at least 200 times more active than histamine on peripheral airways on a molar basis. Leukotriene D is the major SRS-A of human lung and accounts for almost all of the biological activity. It likely is formed from leukotriene C-1 in vivo by an enzymic process of the well-known γ-glutamyltransferase type.

Keywords: human lung, rat peritoneal leukocytes, peripheral airways, synthetic leukotrienes

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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