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Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 72, No. 3 623-627
doi:10.1210/jcem-72-3-623
Copyright © 1991 by the Endocrine Society.
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Human Milk Stimulates Prostacyclin Production by Cultured Human Vascular Endothelial Cells*

ARI RISTIMÄKI, OLAVI YLIKORKALA, KRISTINA PESONEN, JAAKKO PERHEENTUPA and LASSE VIINIKKA

Children’s Hospital (A.R., K.P., J.P., L.V.) and the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology (O.Y.), University of Helsinki SF-00290 Helsinki, Finland

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Ari Ristimäki, Kuusitie 5 A 45, 00270 Helsinki, Finland.

Prostacyclin (PGI2) is an antithrombotic and vasodilatory factor, which is produced mainly by the vascular endothelium. Little is known about how this process is regulated. We investigated the effect of human milk on PGI2 synthesis by human vascular endothelial cells by measuring its stable metabolite, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1{alpha}, by RIA. Human milk induced dose- and time-dependent stimulation of PGI2 production, whereas cow’s milk was ineffective. The lowest concentration of human milk that stimulated the production of PGI2 was 0.1%, and 10% induced a 2.4- to 3.4-fold increase. The effect of human milk was detectable after 2 h and was blocked by inhibitors of transcription, translation, and cyclooxygenase. Boiling abolished the activity, but acetone extraction enhanced it. A 10% concentration of acetone-extracted human milk stimulated the release of endothelial cell PGI2 by 6.6-fold. In human milk samples we found no correlation between the amount of immunoreactive epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the activity stimulating PGI2 synthesis. Furthermore, EGF antibodies did not inhibit the activity. This is the first demonstration that human milk stimulates PGI2 production by endothelial cells. We conclude that human milk is a potent inducer of PGI2 production by human vascular endothelial cells and that the stimulatory activity is not due to EGF.

* This work was supported by the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, the Academy of Finland, the Foundation for Pediatric Research (Helsinki, Finland), the Ida Montini Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Finnish Culture Foundation.

Received March 3, 1990.







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Copyright © 1991 by The Endocrine Society