BRONCHOPROTECTIVE ROLE FOR ENDOGENOUS PROSTAGLANDIN E(2)

The possibility that impaired production of bronchoprotective factors contributes to the pathogenesis of asthma cannot be excluded. Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) could be such a factor. It is a dominant cyclo-oxygenase product of airway epithelium and smooth muscle; it has inhibitory effects on inflammatory cells and pathways involved in bronchoconstriction at concentrations known to occur in the airway; inhalation of PGE(2) has considerable bronchoprotective effects in patients with asthma; and manoeuvres that increase or decrease endogenous production of PGE(2) have beneficial and deleterious effects on airway function.