Prostaglandins
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Recent evidence has shown that a variety of prostaglandins and leukotrienes can be produced in brain tissue after injury in animals. It has also been speculated that increases in brain prostaglandins occur in humans following injury. Ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples have been obtained from children with static lesions (controls) as well as children with acute brain injury and eicosanoids measured by immunologic techniques. ⋯ Elevated levels of hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) were observed in those samples stored frozen, but these metabolites were most probably due to autooxidation of arachidonic acid in CSF. Arachidonic acid concentration in CSF was typically found to be in the range of 10-200 ng/ml, but was found to be 5-10 fold higher in one severely injured patient. Thus, elevated free arachidonic acid and various oxygenated metabolites were observed in CSF following brain injury.