Abstract

Prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) is the most abundant prostaglandin in the human body. It has a large number of biological actions that it exerts via four types of receptors, EP1–4. PGE₂ is formed from arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and COX-2)-catalyzed formation of prostaglandin H₂ (PGH₂) and further transformation by PGE synthases. The isomerization of the endoperoxide PGH₂ to PGE₂ is catalyzed by three different PGE synthases, viz. cytosolic PGE synthase (cPGES) and two membrane-bound PGE synthases, mPGES-1 and mPGES-2. Of these isomerases, cPGES and mPGES-2 are constitutive enzymes, whereas mPGES-1 is mainly an induced isomerase. cPGES uses PGH₂ produced by COX-1 whereas mPGES-1 uses COX-2-derived endoperoxide. mPGES-2 can use both sources of PGH₂. mPGES-1 is a member of the membrane associated proteins involved in eicosanoid and glutathione metabolism (MAPEG) superfamily. It requires glutathione as an essential cofactor for its activity. mPGES-1 is up-regulated in response to various proinflammatory stimuli with a concomitant increased expression of COX-2. The coordinate increased expression of COX-2 and mPGES-1 is reversed by glucocorticoids. Differences in the kinetics of the expression of the two enzymes suggest distinct regulatory mechanisms for their expression. Studies, mainly from disruption of the mPGES-1 gene in mice, indicate key roles of mPGES-1-generated PGE₂ in female reproduction and in pathological conditions such as inflammation, pain, fever, anorexia, atherosclerosis, stroke, and tumorigenesis. These findings indicate that mPGES-1 is a potential target for the development of therapeutic agents for treatment of several diseases.