Prostaglandins in the patent literature

Abstract

Prostaglandins are regulatory compounds that play principal roles in many physiologic processes. Importantly, prostaglandins have been demonstrated to be potent vasodilators in humans and animals, indicating their potential role as therapeutic agents. However, administration of prostaglandins for therapeutic purposes has been hampered by their inherent pharmacokinetic properties, such as limited bioavailability and short half-life, as well as their pleiotropism with resultant side effects. Despite these difficulties, considerable work has been done over the past few decades in the development of prostaglandin derivatives and their use as therapeutic agents. Recently, numerous prostaglandin analogs, agonists and antagonists have emerged. This review will focus on prostaglandins in general and various types of prostaglandin derivatives that are patented and have therapeutic use as vasodilators.

Keywords::

• agonist
• analog
• antagonist, cyclooxygenase enzymes
• prostaglandins
• receptors
• vasodilation

Notes