Prostaglandins are powerful hormones that have a variety of diverse functions in the human body, most notably controlling the immune response. However, in excess, they can cause chronic disorders and diseases, including migraines, painful menstruation, and cancer. Read on to see how prostaglandins affect your health.

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What Are Prostaglandins?

Prostaglandins are hormones involved in many diverse roles in the body, principally the acute immune reaction and inflammation [R].

Unlike most hormones, prostaglandins are not made by glands and then released into the bloodstream. They are made in multiple different tissues and exert their effects locally. They have potent effects, but are short-lived and quickly cleared from the body [R].

Prostaglandins were first isolated from semen by a Swedish pharmacologist Ulf Svante von Euler in 1935. The name prostaglandins is derived from the fact that they were originally thought to be produced by the prostate gland (they are actually produced in the seminal vesicles, among many other types of tissues).

Prostaglandin Functions

Prostaglandins only affect the cells they are made by and the cells in the surrounding area. They have diverse effects on the body, including:

increasing/decreasing inflammation, and contributing to the signs of acute inflammation, such as redness, heat, swelling, and pain
constricting or dilating blood vessels
inducing labor
increasing the production of mucus

While the body produces many types of prostaglandins, there are four primary types:

Type of Prostaglandin	Function
Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)	Involved in overall immunity and immune cell signaling (macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells and B cells) [R] decreases blood pressure [R] fertility (induces uterine contractions) [R] protects the gut [R] increases or decreases inflammation (e.g. calming down an allergic response or increasing brain inflammation) [R, R ]
Prostacyclin (PGI2)	Dilates blood vessels [R] decreases blood pressure [R] decreases platelet clotting [R] inhibits white blood cell (leukocyte) adhesion to blood vessel walls, which decreases immune system activity [R] Can increase/decrease inflammation, but it’s more anti-inflammatory [R] PGI2 inhibits Th1 and Th2 but may increase Th17 cells [R]
Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2)	promotes sleep [R] pain perception [R] increases/decreases inflammation and allergies [R, R, R, R, R]
Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α)	Increases the feeling of pain [R] increases cell uptake of calcium [R] important for fertility/reproductive cycle in women [R] involved in kidney function [R]

Prostaglandins are made from a fatty acid called arachidonic acid. When this fatty acid is released from cells, it is converted into prostaglandin H2 (PGH2, the precursor to all four of the primary prostaglandins) by either one of two enzymes [R, R]:

cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1). This enzyme maintains basal (minimal) levels of prostaglandins, that are needed for gut protection.
cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) . This enzyme increases prostaglandin levels during acute inflammation such as infection or injury.

Prostaglandins help increase the concentration of cAMP, calcium ions, and activate G proteins inside the cells, all of which are involved in the transfer of energy and inflammatory signaling processes. These pathways are vital to initiate a defense response against foreign invaders that enter the body[R].

Health Benefits of High Prostaglandin Levels

1) Prostaglandins Protect the Gut and Help Against Ulcers

High levels of PGE2 and PGI2 are found in the gut, which protects the stomach and small intestine from damage [R, R].

Patients with ulcers have lower levels of PGE2 in their gut than healthy patients [R].

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, reduce the production of prostaglandins and cause damage to the small intestine that can lead to ulcers [R].

In one study (SB-RCT) of 34 healthy volunteers, prostaglandin prevented NSAID-induced gut damage (measured as the number of small-intestinal lesions) in [R].

In a study of 11 patients with unmanageable ulcers, PGE2 administration completely healed the ulcers in seven patients within four to 14 weeks [R].

The NSAID indomethacin reduced ulcer healing in rats and mice with ulcers. Administering the synthetic prostaglandin 11-deoxy-PGE1 improved healing in these animals [R].

2) Prostaglandins Protect the Heart

Studies indicate that estrogen, which is known to protect the heart, works by increasing COX-2 and prostaglandins, specifically PGI2 [R, R].

Estrogen significantly decreased infarct size in rabbits, but this positive effect was blocked with either a COX-2 or a PGI2 receptor inhibitor [R].

In a DB-RCT of 11 patients with heart failure, 4-week PGE1 therapy improved heart health compared to placebo [R].

In mice, PGD2 protected against heart injury by activating Nrf2, an important master-regulator of antioxidant enzymes [R].

3) Prostaglandins Induce Labor

Prostaglandins induce uterine contractions and play a critical role in causing pregnant woman to go into labor [R].

PGE2 vaginal gel has been used to induce labor in pregnancy [R, R].

Prostaglandins given locally can also help with stillbirths and hemorrhages during pregnancy. C-sections for delivering stillborns or surgery to deal with postpartum hemorrhages may be avoided with the use of prostaglandins [R].

In a study involving 50 patients who had either a faulty abortion or had been diagnosed with fetal death, 47 of them were able to successfully expel the products of conception with PGE2 [R].

4) Prostaglandins (PGE2) Can Calm Allergies

In a double-blind crossover study of 8 subjects with asthma, inhaling PGE2 decreased the response to allergens [R].

PGE2 also protected against allergic lung inflammation in mice [R].

2) PGE2 and PGF2α May Improve Sperm Function

When exposed to low levels of PGE2 and PGF2α, the motility and function of human sperm cells were improved [R].

Low doses of PGF2α at insemination improve conception rates in cattle [R].

StatinsR(not)us!

Prostaglandin levels