What are prostaglandins secreted?

Prostaglandins are very important to male friends in terms of physiology. If prostaglandins are not secreted in semen, sexual intercourse will become disharmonious and many male friends will lose their reproductive function. In more serious cases, it will cause atherosclerosis. If the situation is caused by this disease, it will require a very long period of treatment and people need to actively cooperate with the treatment.

Physiological name. It is a type of physiologically active unsaturated fatty acid, widely distributed in various tissues and body fluids. It was first extracted from human semen and can now be prepared by biosynthesis or total synthesis and used as a drug in clinical practice. The basic structure of prostaglandins (PG) is prostanoid acid. Natural prostaglandins contain 20 carbon carboxylic acids and hydroxy fatty acids. Their chemical structure and name are derived from the prostanoid acid molecule.

1. Atherosclerosis:

Atherosclerosis is a chronic vasculitis characterized by thickening of the arterial wall, especially in the coronary arteries of the heart. Endothelial function damage is considered to be the initiating factor of atherosclerosis. Increased plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased free oxygen radicals caused by smoking, hypertension, diabetes and other genetic factors can all lead to endothelial function damage and cause atherosclerosis.

PGI2 and TxA2 are the main prostaglandins in the cardiovascular system, produced by vascular endothelial cells and platelets, respectively. They have opposite effects on blood vessels and platelets: PGI2 induces vasodilation and inhibits platelet aggregation; TxA2 induces vasoconstriction and is a strong platelet agonist. The balance between PGI2 and TxA2 is a key factor in determining the stability of the cardiovascular system.

2. Thrombotic diseases:

Arterial thrombosis caused by unstable or ruptured plaques caused by atherosclerosis is a clinical syndrome that poses a serious threat to human health. Platelet activation is the central link in thrombosis, and prostaglandins TxA2 and PGI2 play an important role in regulating platelet activation, and are therefore closely related to arterial thrombosis.

The half-life of prostaglandins is very short, so after prostaglandins are synthesized, they are quickly released outside the cell and bind to membrane receptors near their production sites in an autocrine or paracrine manner to exert their effects. Each prostaglandin has a specific receptor, and all prostaglandin receptors have been cloned, and they belong to the transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor family.