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Eddie L. Hoover, MD; Bernard M. Jaffe, MD; Hueldine Webb, MD; David W. England, MB, ChB

Arch Surg. 1988;123(6):705-708.

Abstract
• To investigate whether female sex hormones and pregnancy induce increased gallbladder synthesis of prostaglandin I₂ (PGI₂) and prostaglandin E (PGE), we used an in vitro incubation chamber to quantitate the effects of progesterone, estrogen, pregnancy, and pregnancy plus a 2%-cholesterol diet on mucosal and serosal PGI₂ and PGE production by the rabbit gallbladder. Neither the female sex hormones nor pregnancy alone caused a significant increase in PGI₂ or PGE synthesis. The gallbladders of cholesterol-fed, pregnant rabbits demonstrated significant increases only in serosal synthesis of PGI₂. This increased production was equivalent to that noted for gallbladders from nonpregnant rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet. There were no increases in mucosal synthesis of PGE or of PGI₂. Thus, neither elevated levels of progesterone or estrogen nor pregnancy is directly responsible for the increased PGI₂ activity in the female gallbladder; conversely, this effect seems to be mediated by the increased biliary concentrations of cholesterol.

(Arch Surg 1988;123:705-708)

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Surgery, Brooklyn Veterans Administration Medical Center and the State University of New York—Health Science Center at Brooklyn.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication June 17, 1987.

Reprint requests to Department of Surgery, SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, Box 40, 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203 (Dr Jaffe).

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