Stability of prostacyclin in human and rabbit whole blood and plasma.

The stability of prostacyclin (PGI2) in whole blood and plasma was studied in vitro by measuring the disappearance rate of labeled prostacyclin during a 37 degrees C incubation. Prostacyclin was assayed using a quantitative chromatographic method. The half-life of PGI2 was 6.3 +/- 0.8 minutes (mean +/- s.d., n = 6) in citrated human whole blood, significantly shorter (p less than 0.001) than the 10.7 +/- 2.3 minute half-life in citrated human plasma (n = 7). Prior freezing and thawing of plasma did not affect the rate of PGI2 hydrolysis. These values, including the prolonged half-life in plasma, were similar in the blood (5.4 +/- 1.8 min, n = 7) and plasma (9.0 +/- 1.9 min, n = 14) of diabetic patients. In plasma samples from patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, the half-life of prostacyclin (4.9 +/- 1.0 min, n = 4) was significantly shortened (p less than 0.001) compared to that in plasma from normal volunteers. The stability of prostacyclin in rabbit blood and plasma was also quantified. The PGI2 half-life in citrated rabbit plasma (10.8 +/- 1.1 min, n = 3) was similar to that in citrated human plasma from control subjects. In contrast to the findings in human blood, the half-life of PGI2 in citrated rabbit whole blood (11.7 +/- 3.3 min, n = 4) was not different from the rabbit plasma value. Substitution of EDTA for citrate did not affect the half-life in rabbit blood or plasma.