Abstract

Prostaglandins are a family of biologically potent lipid substances which have been investigated intensively in recent years. Although precise knowledge of the physiologic roles of prostaglandins remains uncertain, it is evident that prostaglandins exert a variety of potent pharmacologic actions on different systems of the body. Furthermore, it is considered that prostaglandins play important roles in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of various diseases in man. The present communication is to review briefly the current understanding of the biochemistry and pharmacology of prostaglandins, the pathophysiologic roles of prostaglandins in different clinical disorders, and the mode of pharmacologic actions of aspirin-like drugs in diseases.