Vascular pharmacology of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids. Adv Pharmacol 2010;60:27-59
Date
11/18/2010Pubmed ID
21081214Pubmed Central ID
PMC3373307DOI
10.1016/B978-0-12-385061-4.00002-7Scopus ID
2-s2.0-78349236168 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 68 CitationsAbstract
Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are cytochrome P450 metabolites of arachidonic acid that are produced by the vascular endothelium in responses to various stimuli such as the agonists acetylcholine (ACH) or bradykinin or by shear stress which activates phospholipase A(2) to release arachidonic acid. EETs are important regulators of vascular tone and homeostasis. In the modulation of vascular tone, EETs function as endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors (EDHFs). In models of vascular inflammation, EETs attenuate inflammatory signaling pathways in both the endothelium and vascular smooth muscle. Likewise, EETs regulate blood vessel formation or angiogenesis by mechanisms that are still not completely understood. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) converts EETs to dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) and this metabolism limits many of the biological actions of EETs. The recent development of inhibitors of sEH provides an emerging target for pharmacological manipulation of EETs. Additionally, EETs may initiate their biological effects by interacting with a cell surface protein that is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Since GPCRs represent a common target of most drugs, further characterization of the EET receptor and synthesis of specific EET agonists and antagonist can be used to exploit many of the beneficial effects of EETs in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. This review will focus on the current understanding of the contribution of EETs to the regulation of vascular tone, inflammation, and angiogenesis. Furthermore, the therapeutic potential of targeting the EET pathway in vascular disease will be highlighted.
Author List
Pfister SL, Gauthier KM, Campbell WBAuthors
William B. Campbell PhD Professor in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department at Medical College of WisconsinSandra L. Pfister PhD Professor in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic AcidAnimals
Arachidonic Acid
Eicosanoids
Endothelium, Vascular
Humans
