Molecular immunology
-
Despite the fact that cyclooxygenase and its products, prostaglandins, have been traditionally associated with the development of inflammation, PGE2 was implicated early on as potentially beneficial in asthma. During the 1970s and 1980s, several studies reported the bronchodilator effect of PGE2 in asthma patients. In parallel, it was being shown to exert an inhibitory effect on mast cells in vitro. ⋯ Indeed, it has been shown that PGE2 prevents human and murine MC activity in vitro through activation of the EP2 receptor, and also that both exogenously administered and endogenous PGE2 inhibit airway MC activity in vivo in mouse models of asthma (likely through an EP2-mediated mechanism as well). In the last few years, we have furthered into the functional connection between PGE2-induced mast cells inhibition and attenuated damage, in asthma and allergy models. The validity of the findings supporting a beneficial effect of PGE2 in different asthma phases, the direct effect of PGE2 on mast cells populations, and the functional implications of the PGE2-MC interaction on airway function are some of the topics addressed in this review, under the assumption that increased understanding of the PGE2-EP2-mast cell axis will likely lead to the discovery of novel antiasthma targets.