The use of the hamster stomach in vitro as an assay preparation for prostaglandins

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Abstract
Summary: Hamster stomach strips in vitro are useful test preparations for the assay of prostaglandins E and F in the nanogram concentration range. Three‐minute cycles can be used for long periods without spontaneous contractions or significant base‐line instability. The mean percentage error and the precision index of six 4‐point assays of prostaglandin E2 were 7·8 and 0·057, respectively. The relative sensitivity to different prostaglandins was E2/E1∼1, E2/F1α∼65 and E2/A1∼400. These preparations were relatively insensitive to 5‐hydroxytryptamine (prostaglandin E2/5‐HT∼20,000) and histamine (prostaglandin E2/histamine∼200). These results suggest that the hamster stomach preparation can be used to differentiate between 5‐hydroxytryptamine and prostaglandins.