DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH PRIMROSE OIL OR FISH-OIL DOES NOT CHANGE URINARY-EXCRETION OF PROSTACYCLIN AND THROMBOXANE METABOLITES IN PREECLAMPTIC WOMEN

To study whether balance between antiaggregatory, vasodilatory prostacyclin (PGI(2)) and proaggregatory, vasoconstrictory thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)) could be affected by dietary manipulation, 18 pre-eclamptic women were treated in randomized order between 31 and 36 weeks of gestation either with primrose oil (n = 7), with fish oil (n = 5), or with placebo (n = 6). Urinary excretions of the degradation products of PGI(2) (6-keto-PGF(1 alpha), 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF(1 alpha)) and TXA(2) (TXB(2), 2,3-dinor-TXB(2)) were measured in 24 h urines before and serially during the supplementation. Fatty acid supplementation did not affect urinary prostanoid excretions or clinical signs of pre-eclampsia.