Radiation protection of the murine intestine by misoprostol, a prostaglandin E1 analogue, given alone or with WR-2721, is stereospecific.

Misoprostol, a prostaglandin (PG) E1 analogue, is one of the most effective radiation protectors of the PGs investigated to date. Misoprostol-induced protection is also additive to protection by the widely studied thiol compound, WR-2721. The mechanism of PG-induced radiation protection and its interaction with WR-2721 is unknown. One important step in the investigation of the mechanism is to determine if PG-induced protection and its interaction with WR-2721 is mediated through PG receptor sites. A direct determination of receptor sites on murine intestinal clonogenic cells could not be made; however an indirect approach was possible. Misoprostol is composed of four stereoisomers of about equal proportions of which only one is gastric antisecretory and cytoprotective. Studies reported here compared radiation protection by this active isomer with that of one of the three inactive isomers. Furthermore, the additional protection of the two isomers when administered with WR-2721 was investigated. Results showed that only the active isomer was protective from radiation injury and this isomer was the only one which afforded additional protection with WR-2721. These data show that PG-induced radiation protection is receptor site dependent and stereospecific.