Prostaglandins brain

Unlike aspirin and other cyclooxygenase inhibitors that work on the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, acetaminophen works on the COX-3 enzyme, which is present in the spinal column and brain. This helps it to avoid shutting down prostaglandin function elsewhere in the body, which is why it has no anti-inflammatory effects and does not affect blood platelets or the stomach lining. 

The main problem with any study of prostaglandins (PGs) is that although brain concentrations can exceed 0.1 /rg/g, they appear to be formed on demand, rather than preformed and stored and they have very short half-lives (seconds). Also specific effective antagonists remain to be developed and PGs are widely and evenly distributed, unlike many NTs. Thus any analysis of their central effects rests heavily on either studying PG release, or their effects when applied directly (icv injection). Certainly the brain has the enzymatic ability to synthesise both prostaglandins (cycloxygenase) and leukotrienes (lypoxygenase) from arachidonic acid (AA) (see Fig. 13.8) and a number of central functions have been proposed for them (see Piomelli 1994). 

Guadet, R.J. and Levine, L. (1979). Transient cerebral ischemia and brain prostaglandins. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 86, 893-901. 

Camp, R.D., Mallet, A.L, Woolard, P.M., Brain, S.D., Kobza-Black, A. and Greaves, M.W. (1983). The identification of hydroxy fatty acids in psoriatic skin. Prostaglandins, 26, 431-447. 

Acetaminophen is a centrally acting analgesic that produces analgesia by inhibiting prostaglandin production in the brain and spinal cord. It is an effective and inexpensive analgesic with a favorable risk-benefit profile.9 It should be tried initially at an adequate dose and duration before considering an... 

Matsumura, H., Gerashchenko, D., Satoh, S. et al. (1995). Prostaglandin D2 and nitric oxide key factors underlying the regulation of slow-wave sleep and paradoxical sleep in the rat brain. Sleep Res. 24A, 134. 

Hiroshima, 0., et al. (1986). Basal level of prostaglandin D2 in rat brain by a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay. Prostaglandins 32, 63-80. 

Lee, B., el al. (2002). Prostaglandin D synthase in the prenatal ovine brain and effects of its inhibition with selenium chloride on fetal sleep/wake activity in utero. 

Matsumura, H., et al. (1989). Awaking effect of prostaglandin E2 in freely moving rats. Brain Res. 481, 242-9. 

Nagata, A., et al. (1991). Human brain prostaglandin D synthase has been... 

Narumiya, S., et al. (1982). Prostaglandin D2 in rat brain, spinal cord and pituitary basal level and regional distribution. Life Sci. 31, 2093-103. 

Shimizu, T., et al. (1979). Purification and properties of prostaglandin D synthetase from rat brain. /. Biol. Chem. 254, 5222-8. 

Urade, Y., el al. (1993). Dominant expression of mRNA for prostaglandin D synthase in leptomeninges, choroid plexus, and oligodendrocytes of the adult rat brain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Set USA 90, 9070-4. 

White, D. M., et al. (1992). Structure and chromosomal localization of the human gene for a brain form of prostaglandin D2 synthase. J. Biol. Chem. 267,... 

Lipids have multiple roles in cells. Recent discoveries show that the same lipid may have both structural and regulatory roles in the cell. For example, while arachidonic acid (20 4co6) is a major constituent of brain inositides and PtdEtn, the free acid is also a precursor of a number of important bio messengers, the eicosanoids, such as prostaglandins, prostacyclins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes... 

Nehhg, A. Brain uptake and metabolism of ketone bodies in animal models. Prostaglandins Leukot. Essent. Fatty Acids 70 265-275, 2004. 

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