Prostaglandins, Kinins and the Regulation of Blood Pressure

Abstract

Prostaglandins participate in the regulation of vascular reactivity and blood pressure by opposing the vasoconstrictor and antinatriuretic actions of pressor hormones, and by moderating the release of norepinephrine from vasoconstrictor nerves. Blood vessels synthesize prostaglandins intramurally, where their local release influences vascular reactivity. PGI2, unlike PGE2, may be a circulating hormone and may influence vascular resistance of organs remote from its site of synthesis. Prostaglandins not only attenuate the effects of vasoconstrictor hormones but also amplify the effects of the kallikrein-kinin system intrarenally and within the vasculature.