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An. R. Acad. Nac. Farm., 2008, 74 (4):

________Revisión_________

Prostanoids actions in cardiovascular
physiopathology

Recibido el 28 de mayo de 2008

MANUEL FRESNO*, MANUEL D. DÍAZ-MUÑOZ, NATALIA
CUESTA, CRISTINA CACHEIRO-LLAGUNO AND MIGUEL A.

ÍÑIGUEZ

Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa. Departamento de Biología
Molecular. Unversidad Autónoma de Madrid. Consejo Superior de
Investigaciones Científicas. Cantoblanco. 28049, Madrid, Spain.

ABSTRACT

Prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxanes (TXs) play a pivotal role in
cardiovascular physiopathology. They are synthesized from arachidonic acid by the
enzymatic action of cyclooxygenases (COXs), leading to the production of an unstable
intermediate, PGH2 that is subsequently converted to the different prostaglandins and
thromboxanes (PGE2, PGD2, PGI2, PGF2a and TXA2) by the action of different synthases
and isomerases. There are two well characterized COX enzymes, termed COX-1 and
COX-2, with different properties. While COX-1 is expressed constitutively in most
tissues and is thought to be involved in homeostatic prostanoid biosynthesis, COX-2 is

* Corresponding author:
Dr. Manuel Fresno.
Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa - Departamento de Biología Molecular.
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.
Cantoblanco 28049, Madrid, Spain.
Phone: + 34 911964565; Fax : + 34 911964420; e-mail: mfresno@cbm.uam.es
Abbreviations: COX, Cyclooxygenase; DP, PGD receptor; EP, PGE receptor; FP, PGF
receptor; IL, Interleukin; IP, PGI receptor; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs; PG, prostaglandin; PGES, PGE synthase; PGDS, PGD synthase; PGFS, PGF
synthase; PGIS, PGI synthase; TP, Thromboxane receptor; TX, Thromboxane; TXS,
Thromboxane synthase.