Lysophosphatidylcholines containing polyunsaturated fatty acids were found as Na+, K+-ATPase inhibitors in acutely volume-expanded hog.

Na+, K+-ATPase inhibitors possessing inhibitory activities against the specific binding of ouabain to Na+, K+-ATPase and 86Rb uptake into hog erythrocytes have been purified from the plasma of acutely saline-infused hog. The purifications were performed by a combination of Amberlite XAD-2 adsorption chromatography and four steps of high-performance liquid chromatography with four different types of columns. Fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass and proton NMR spectrometric studies identified the purified substances as gamma-arachidoyl- [LPCA(gamma), 34%], beta-arachidoyl- [LPCA(beta), 4%], gamma-linoleoyl- (LPCL, 33%), and gamma-oleoyl- (LPCO, 25%) lysophosphatidylcholine, expressed in molar ratio in the plasma. Small amounts of gamma-docosapentaenoyl-, gamma-eicosatrienoyl-, and gamma-palmitoyllysophosphatidylcholine were also detected by both FAB mass and 1H NMR spectrometric studies. Only gamma-acyl-LPC's showed inhibitory activities on Na+,K+-ATPase and ouabain-binding activities. These LPC's were effective at 100 microM levels in attaining 50% inhibition of the enzyme activity. The inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity due to these compounds was always more sensitive than that of both ouabain-binding and 86Rb uptake activities. The ouabain-displacing activity in plasma due to these compounds increased with time during saline infusion. The maximal plasma level was approximately 10 times higher than that in the preinfusion plasma sample. Although these results suggest the gamma-acyl-LPC's with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are not simple competitive inhibitors to Na+, K+ -ATPase, these compounds could be implicated in the pathogenesis of the circulation abnormality through the modulation of membrane enzyme.