Eicosanoid Synthesis in Poikilothermic Vertebrates

前列腺素和白三烯是两类重要的生物调节剂。它们是由许多生物体细胞膜中发现的20种碳脂肪酸合成的。关于这些化合物在哺乳动物中的结构和功能，人们已经知道了很多，但在非哺乳动物脊椎动物中的信息有限。在哺乳动物中，前列腺素参与炎症反应、心血管调节、血液凝结和生殖生理等功能。白三烯与过敏反应有关。因此，调节这些化合物的合成和作用对人类医学很重要。检查两栖动物和鱼类等变温动物很重要，因为它们对环境温度变化的反应是其生理和生化参数发生戏剧性变化。在暴露于不同环境温度的动物中，20种碳脂肪酸前体的比例会发生变化，合成过程中涉及的化学反应可能会更快或更慢，这取决于温度或其他膜脂肪酸的存在。这项研究将研究前列腺素和白三烯的合成，并研究它们在两栖动物和鱼类中的生物学作用。赫尔曼博士发现，白三烯对心脏和两栖动物血压的影响与对哺乳动物血压的影响不同。我们将研究产生差异的原因。这些动物产生具有不同生物效应的新化合物的可能性将被调查。这些信息将使我们更好地理解这些重要的调节剂化合物的合成和生物学作用。

Prostaglandins and leukotrienes are two groups of compounds which are important biological regulators. They are synthesized from 20 carbon fatty acids found in cell membranes of many organisms. A great deal is known about the structure and function of these compounds in mammals, but the information is limited in non-mammalian vertebrates. In mammals, prostaglandins are involved in inflammatory responses, cardivascular regulation, blood clotting, and reproductive physiology, among other functions. Leukotrienes are involved in allergic reactions. Thus, regulation of the synthesis and actions of these compounds is important to human medicine. It is important to examine poikilothermic animals such as amphibians and fish, since they respond to changes in environmental temperature with dramatic alterations in their physiological and biochemical parameters. The ratios of the 20 carbon fatty acid precursors change in animals exposed to different environmental temperatures, and chemical reactions involved in synthesis may be faster or slower depending on the temperature or the other membrane fatty acids which are present. This research will examine the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes and investigate their biological roles in amphibians and fish. Dr. Herman has discovered that leukotrienes have different effects on the heart and on blood pressure of amphibians than they do on blood pressure in mammals. The reasons for the differences will be studied. The possibility that these animals produce novel compounds with different biological effects will be investigated. This information will provide a better understanding of the synthesis and biological roles of these important regulator compounds