Cyclooxygenase

Cyclooxygenases are enzymes that convert arachidonic acid into prostaglandin precursors and other lipid mediators. The family includes COX-1 and COX-2, which differ in regulation and tissue roles.

Arachidonic acid: A polyunsaturated fatty acid in cell membranes and a precursor to several families of signaling lipids. Cyclooxygenases use it as the substrate for prostaglandin synthesis.
Eicosanoid: A signaling lipid derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids, including prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and related molecules. Cyclooxygenase makes one major branch of this broader signaling family.
Cyclooxygenase-1: A cyclooxygenase isoform expressed in many tissues and involved in functions such as gastric protection and platelet activity. It is the largely constitutive isoform commonly contrasted with inducible COX-2.
Inflammation: A protective biological response to harmful stimuli that recruits immune activity and changes local tissue function. Inflammatory signals can increase COX-2 expression and prostaglandin production.
John Robert Vane: A British pharmacologist who identified prostaglandin synthesis inhibition as a mechanism of aspirin-like drugs. His 1971 work connected anti-inflammatory drugs to reduced prostaglandin production.
Prostaglandin H2: An unstable prostaglandin intermediate produced from arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase activity. It is the shared product from which downstream prostanoids are made.
Prostaglandin: A group of locally acting lipid mediators involved in inflammation, vascular function, reproduction, and other processes. These are the central products generated through the cyclooxygenase pathway.
Cyclooxygenase-2: A cyclooxygenase isoform often induced during inflammation and also expressed constitutively in certain tissues. Its regulation and role in inflammatory signaling distinguish it from COX-1.
Pain: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Prostaglandins made through cyclooxygenase sensitize peripheral pain-sensing neurons.
Daniel L. Simmons: An American biochemist whose research helped identify and characterize cyclooxygenase-2. His group contributed to establishing COX-2 as a distinct inducible isoform.

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