Knowra Eicosanoid Eicosanoid An eicosanoid is a short-lived signaling molecule derived chiefly from twenty-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids. Eicosanoids regulate processes including inflammation, vascular tone, and blood clotting.
Arachidonic acid : A twenty-carbon omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in cell membranes and used to synthesize many eicosanoids. It is the main precursor for many prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes.
Prostaglandin : A lipid mediator produced through cyclooxygenase pathways that acts locally on specific receptors. Prostaglandins are a major eicosanoid branch with effects on pain, fever, and smooth muscle.
Aspirin : A medication that irreversibly inhibits cyclooxygenase enzymes and reduces prostanoid synthesis. Its effects on prostaglandins and thromboxane explain its uses in pain relief and prevention of some clots.
Inflammation : A coordinated tissue response to harmful stimuli, involving immune, vascular, and repair processes. Eicosanoids help coordinate inflammatory onset, intensity, and resolution.
Endocannabinoid : A lipid signaling molecule that activates cannabinoid receptors and is often synthesized on demand from membrane lipids. Endocannabinoids are lipid mediators, but they signal through cannabinoid receptors rather than eicosanoid pathways.
Eicosapentaenoic acid : A twenty-carbon omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oils and cellular membranes. It supplies an alternative precursor that can shift eicosanoid production toward different signaling profiles.
Thromboxane : A prostanoid lipid mediator that promotes platelet aggregation and can constrict blood vessels. It shows how cyclooxygenase products can coordinate clot formation and vascular responses.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug : A class of medicines that reduce pain and inflammation, commonly by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes. This drug class targets a central enzyme pathway of eicosanoid production.
Platelet aggregation : The clumping of platelets that contributes to formation of a blood clot. The balance between thromboxane and prostacyclin influences platelet aggregation.
Specialized pro-resolving mediator : A lipid mediator that actively promotes the resolution of inflammation and restoration of tissue homeostasis. Some are derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids, but their defining role is resolution rather than broad eicosanoid signaling.
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