Roles of prostaglandin E2 in cardiovascular diseases.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE(2)) is produced in inflammatory responses and regulates a variety of immunological reactions through 4 different receptor subtypes; EP1, 2, 3 and 4. However, the precise role of each receptor in cardiovascular disease has not yet been elucidated. Enhanced expression of some EPs has been observed in clinical and experimental cardiovascular diseases. EP agonists have been developed to clarify the role of each receptor. Recently, we developed a novel selective agonist to examine the effects of EP4 on cardiac transplantation, myocardial ischemia, and myocarditis. Of note, a selective EP4 agonist attenuated inflammatory cytokines and chemokines via attenuation of macrophage activation in inflammatory heart diseases. In this review article, we discuss the effects of PGE(2) receptor agonists on the development of cardiovascular diseases.