PROSTAGLANDIN E(2) PRODUCTION BY UTERINE STROMAL CELL-LINE U-III - REGULATION BY ESTRADIOL AND EVIDENCE OF AN ETHANOL ACTION

We have recently established a uterine stromal cell line (U-III). The purpose of the present study was to determine whether these cells have retained the ability to produce and release prostaglandins after several passages and whether this production was regulated. U-III cells, grown in basal conditions, released a very low amount (40.6 +/- 2.9 pg/24h/10(6) cells) of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) though cellular content was more elevated (192 +/- 23 pg/10(6) cells). Ethanol increased the cellular content but decreased the release of PGE(2), whereas estradiol 17 beta (E(2)) increased it in a dose-dependent manner, but had no effect on the cellular content. The PGE(2) release by cells grown in medium containing 10 mu M arachidonate (AA) reached 1.39 +/- 0.05 ng/24h/10(6) cells, and was further increased to 2.1 +/- 0.1 ng/24 h/10(6) cells by the addition of ethanol. Under the latter condition, E(2) was ineffective. This study also showed that U-III cells expressed an immunoreactive pancreatic type 14 kD PLA(2). A substantial increased 24 kD PLA(2) expression was observed in ethanol-treated cells, suggesting that ethanol-effect on prostaglandin production might be partly mediated by PLA(2) increase. Medium supplementation with arachidonate also resulted in a significant increase of intracellular 14 kD PLA(2) expression. The present results showed that uterine stromal U-III cells have retained the enzymatic machinery to produce PGE(2). Moreover these data demonstrate that ethanol and E(2) affect differently uterine PGE(2) production.