Knowra Prostaglandin Prostaglandin Prostaglandins are locally acting lipid signals made from fatty acids. They regulate processes including inflammation, pain, fever, blood flow, and smooth-muscle activity.
Arachidonic acid : A polyunsaturated fatty acid in cell membranes that serves as a precursor for several signaling molecules. Its release from membrane lipids supplies the main substrate for prostaglandin synthesis.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug : A class of medicines that reduces pain, fever, and inflammation, commonly by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes. NSAIDs relieve symptoms by suppressing prostaglandin production.
Eicosanoid : A family of signaling lipids derived mainly from twenty-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids. Prostaglandins belong to this broader family of locally acting lipid mediators.
Inflammation : A coordinated tissue response to injury or infection involving immune, vascular, and repair processes. Prostaglandins help shape the vascular and sensory components of inflammatory responses.
Cyclooxygenase : An enzyme, also called COX, that converts arachidonic acid into prostaglandin precursors. COX enzymes catalyze the pathway's first committed steps.
Aspirin : A medicine that irreversibly inhibits cyclooxygenase enzymes and reduces prostaglandin and thromboxane synthesis. It is a widely used example of pharmacological blockade of prostaglandin synthesis.
Prostanoid : A group of lipid mediators that includes prostaglandins, prostacyclin, and thromboxanes. This narrower chemical family places prostaglandins alongside closely related products.
Fever : A regulated rise in body temperature, commonly triggered by immune signals during infection or inflammation. Prostaglandin E2 in the brain helps raise the body's temperature set point.
Prostaglandin H2 : An unstable intermediate produced by cyclooxygenase and converted into several prostanoids. This shared intermediate branches into multiple prostaglandin products.
Misoprostol : A synthetic prostaglandin E1 analogue used for gastric protection and in obstetric and gynecologic care. It reproduces selected prostaglandin effects for clinical purposes.
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