Studies on prostaglandin; occurrence, formation and biological actions.

Abstract

In this study of the occurrence formation and biological actions of prostaglandin (PG) it was found that PG in human seminal fluid is secreted exclusively from seminal vesicles; that the active principle is present in the tissue in an inactive form and becomes active when incorporated in the seminal fluid; that seminal vesicles are capable of replenishing their PG content within a 14-24 hour interval; that PG from human semen and from sheeps nonincubated vesicular glands behaved as identical substances (there were minor differences between PGs from sheep vesicles and semen however); that PG induces increased activity and tonus of smooth muscle organs (though this was not the case in isolated human unpregnant uterus where it caused a decrease in activity and tonus); that a change in the spontaneous motility is usually observed on rabbitss uterus in situ (but as in vitro this response is inconsistent); that on the basis of chemical and biological properties seminal PG can be differentiated from all known naturally occurring smooth muscle stimulating substances (including the crystalline compounds of PGE and PGF and the so-called slow-reacting substances); and that the possible physiological function of seminal PG in humans is to facilitate sperm migration in the human uterus.