Prostaglandins and related compounds in the perinatal pulmonary circulation.

It is clear that the products of arachidonate metabolism (prostaglandins, leukotrienes, thromboxanes, etc) are involved in both normal and pathophysiologic pulmonary vascular responses. However, the precise roles of these compounds in the various pulmonary vasoregulatory processes remain unclear. This paper reviews the synthetic pathways for these compounds and summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding their involvement in the perinatal pulmonary circulation. Data regarding endogenous compounds as well as the effects of exogenously administered agents are presented.