PGE2

Studies of the biosynthesis of PGE2 from arachidonic acid have shown that all three oxygens come from O2 The enzyme involved prostaglandin endoperoxide syn tliase has cyclooxygenase (COX) activity and catalyzes the reaction of arachidonic acids with O2 to give an endoperoxide (PGG2)... 

PGH2 IS the precursor to a number of prostaglandins and related compounds depending on the enzyme that acts on it One of these cleaves the O—O bond of the endoperox ide and gives PGE2... 

Before leaving this biosynthetic scheme notice that PGE2 has four chirality cen ters Even though arachidomc acid is achiral only the stereoisomer shown m the equa tion IS formed Moreover it is formed as a single enantiomer The stereochemistry is controlled by the interaction of the substrate with the enzymes that act on it Enzymes offer a chiral environment m which biochemical transformations occur and enzyme catalyzed reactions almost always lead to a single stereoisomer Many more examples will be seen m this chapter... 

Prostacyclin I2 (PGI2) inhibits platelet aggregation and relaxes coronary arteries Like PGE2 and TXA2 it is formed from arachidomc acid via PGH2... 

Detailed accounts of the biosynthesis of the prostanoids have been pubUshed (14—17). Under normal circumstances arachidonic acid (AA) is the most abundant C-20 fatty acid m vivo (18—21) which accounts for the predominance of the prostanoids containing two double bonds eg, PGE2 (see Fig. 1). Prostanoids of the one and three series are biosynthesized from dihomo-S-linolenic and eicosapentaenoic acids, respectively. Concentrations ia human tissue of the one-series precursor, dihomo-S-linolenic acid, are about one-fourth those of AA (22) and the presence of PGE has been noted ia a variety of tissues (23). The biosynthesis of the two-series prostaglandins from AA is shown ia Eigure 1. These reactions make up a portion of what is known as the arachidonic acid cascade. Other Hpid products of the cascade iaclude the leukotrienes, lipoxins, and the hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs). Collectively, these substances are termed eicosanoids. 

The melting points, optical rotations, and uv spectral data for selected prostanoids are provided in Table 1. Additional physical properties for the primary PGs have been summarized in the Hterature and the physical methods have been reviewed (47). The molecular conformations of PGE2 and PGA have been determined in the soHd state by x-ray diffraction, and special H and nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectral studies of several PGs have been reported (11,48—53). Mass spectral data have also been compiled (54) (see Mass spectrometry Spectroscopy). 

Reproductive System. The primary PGs are intimately involved in reproductive physiology (67). PGE2 and PGP2Q, are potent contractors of the pregnant utems and intravenous infusion of either of these compounds to pregnant humans produces a dose-dependent increase in frequency and force of uterine contraction. PGI2 and TXA2 have mild relaxant and stimulatory effects, respectively, on uterine tissue. The primary PGs also play a role in parturition, ovulation, luteolysis, and lactation and have been impHcated in male infertility. 

Kidney Function. Prostanoids influence a variety of kidney functions including renal blood flow, secretion of renin, glomerular filtration rate, and salt and water excretion. They do not have a critical role in modulating normal kidney function but play an important role when the kidney is under stress. Eor example, PGE2 and -I2 are renal vasodilators (70,71) and both are released as a result of various vasoconstrictor stimuli. They thus counterbalance the vasoconstrictor effects of the stimulus and prevent renal ischemia. The renal side effects of NSAIDS are primarily observed when normal kidney function is compromised. 

Muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (MTP-PE), a synthetic analogue of muramyl dipeptide and an effective systemic macrophage activator, induces a variety of cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, and TNE, as well as PGE2 (205). Preirradiation treatment of mice using MTP-PE encapsulated in Hposomes, which can intensify radioprotective abiHty, stimulates the monocyte/macrophage system and accelerates the recovery of hemopoietic cells. 

PGE andDenvatives. PGE2 and several related PGs protect against radiation injury in the rodent intestine with respect to both crypt clonogen survival and LD Q g Protection of hemopoietic tissue has also been reported using the exogenous CEU-S assay (215), and 40 p.m of 16,16-dimethyl PGE2... 

A 2-h incubation with another PGE2 analogue, nocloprost (9P-chloro-DMPG) protects normal human fibroblasts but has no effect on the survival of colon adenocarcinoma cells exposed to 10 Gy (1000 rad) (218). Nocloprost protects against radiation-induced DSBs in normal cells but not in tumor cells. Moreover, incubation using nocloprost for 2 h after irradiation enhances the rate of DSB rejoining in fibroblasts but not in adenocarcinoma cells. These data possibly reflect a different distribution of PG receptors on the plasma membrane of the two cell types. 

In the pharmaceutical literature some pyrazoles fused to the prostaglandin structure are cited. Thus, 9,ll-azo-PGE2 (701), a stable endoperoxide analogue that is eight times as potent as PGG2, is a compound that specifically blocks TXA2 synthetase (79MI40401). 

Conversion of PGA2 to PGE2, PGF2 and PGEj, PGFj (Ref. 7) ... 

The different furanones 104 were tested for their potency as inhibitors of PGE2 production both in transfected Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells expressing human COX-2 and in human whole blood. Compound 104r proved to be an orally active and selective COX-2 inhibitor that is devoid of the ulcerogenic effect at >100 times the dose for antiinflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects (99BMC3187). 

The intense activity in this field—it has been estimated that as many as a thousand analogs have been prepared to date-promises a number of drugs in the near future. At this writing, two prostaglandins are available for use by the clinician. Both these compounds, dinoprost (7, PGFaa) and dinoprostone (S, PGE2), are used for the termination of pregnancy in the second trimester. 

Therapeutic Function Oxytocic abortifacient Chemical Name 11,15-Dihydroxy-9-oxoprosta-5,13-dien-1-oic acid Common Name Prostaglandin E2, PGE2 Structural Formula o... 

Figure 27.5 Mechanism of the conversion of PGH2 into PGE2-...

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