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Unlike gastric mucosa, it has been considered that lipoxygenase metabolites protect the esophageal mucosa and that prostaglandins are only secreted in the presence of esophageal inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine the profile of arachidonic acid metabolites and their response to regulatory compounds in rabbit esophageal mucosal cells in culture. Eicosanoids secreted into the medium were extracted and identified by HPLC and RIA. Esophageal mucosal cells in culture metabolized arachidonic acid mainly through the cycloxygenase pathway and PGE2 was the major arachidonic acid metabolite secreted. The addition of IL-1β and A23187 (calcium ionophore) stimulated PGE2 synthesis. In basal conditions neither leukotrienes nor HETEs were detected. However, the addition of the NDGA induced the secretion of lipoxygenase metabolites identified as 12–15 HETEs. In conclusion, rabbit esophageal epithelial cells in culture metabolize arachidonic acid via both cycloxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways. In our system, PGE2 was the main arachidonic acid metabolite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]