Discovery of 12-(S)-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-icosatetraenoic acid [12-(S)-HETE] in the tropical red alga Platysiphonia miniata.

The potent mammalian immunohormone, 12-(S)-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-icosatetraenoic acid (12-(S)-HETE), is a 12-lipoxygenase metabolite of arachidonic acid that is widely distributed in animal tissues. In humans, it is produced and secreted by platelet cells and elicits both chemotactic and degranulatory responses in target neutrophils. As widely as 12-lipoxygenase activity and one of its major products, 12-(S)-HETE, have been found in animal tissues, it has never been found in plants. Herein, we report the first isolation of the 12-lipoxygenase product, 12-(S)-HETE, from a plant, the tropical marine alga Platysiphonia miniata (C. Agardh) Børgesen.