Folia Pharmacologica Japonica
Online ISSN : 1347-8397
Print ISSN : 0015-5691
ISSN-L : 0015-5691
Reviews: The Prostanoid Receptors: Molecular Approaches to Drug Development
Pain, fever and prostanoids
Yasushi KURAISHIFumitaka USHIKUBI
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2001 Volume 117 Issue 4 Pages 248-254

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Abstract
Although it has been known that prostanoids are involved in pain regulation and fever, the precise roles of their receptors and receptor subtypes are unclear. All prostanoid receptors have been cloned and mice deficient in each receptor have been developed. Recent studies using prostanoid-receptor-knockout mice are shedding some light on these issues. Nociceptive responses to an intraperitoneal injection of acetic acid and hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan were abolished by IP-receptor deficiency. In addition, the use of mice lacking prostanoid receptor is revealing an interesting role of prostanoid in neuropathic as well as inflammatory pain. With regard to pyrexia, PGE2 injected intracerebroventricularly induced the febrile response in wild-type mice, but it was without effect in mice lacking the EP3 receptor. Furthermore, febrile responses induced by IL-1β, an endogenous pyrogen, and LPS, an exogenous pyrogen, were specifically suppressed in mice lacking the EP3 receptor. These results indicate that PGE2 works as a common final mediator of the febrile response and that this action of PGE2 is medited by the EP3 receptor. The determination of precise roles of prostanoids in pain and fever may provide novel targets for antipyretic analgesics with fewer side effects.
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© 2001 by The Japanese Pharmacological Society
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