Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has been reported to have a potent anti-aggregatory activity and to be efficiently metabolized by 12-lipoxygenase, not by cyclooxygenase in platelets. In vitro effect of 12-lipoxygenase metabolites of EPA on platelet function was studied and compared with those of arachidonic acid (AA). The 12-lipoxygenase metabolites of AA and EPA; 12-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HPETE) and 12-hydroperoxyeicosapentaenoic acid (12-HPEPE), and their hydroxy derivatives, 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) and 12-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (12-HEPE) were prepared enzymatically using human platelet lysate. These compounds were purified by high performance liquid chromatography and identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. 12-HPETE and 12-HPEPE inhibited dose-dependently washed human platelet aggregation and serotonin (5-HT) release induced by AA and collagen. The potency of 12-HPEPE was almost equal to that of 12-HPETE. Their hydroxy derivatives, 12-HETE and 12-HEPE were less potent. 12-hydroperoxy derivatives of AA and EPA were the most potent in inhibiting platelet aggregation and 5-HT release among 5-, 12- and 15-hydroperoxy isomers of AA and EPA. The inhibitory effects of 12-HPETE and 12-HPEPE on platelet aggregation were additive.