What can we learn from prostaglandins and related eicosanoids in insects?

Eicosanoids are oxygenated metabolites of three C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids (20:3n-6, 20:4n-6, and 20:5n-3). While eicosanoids are very well known in mammalian systems, mostly due to their pharmaceutical interest, there is increasing recognition of the significance of these compounds in insects and other invertebrates. In this paper we consider four major concepts emerging from work on eicosanoids in invertebrates. First, the biological significance of eicosanoids extends far beyond their physiological and pathophysiological actions in human and veterinary medicine. Second, we can greatly improve our understanding of eicosanoids in insects by integrating our work on insects into ongoing studies of other invertebrates. Third, some eicosanoid actions may be fundamental to animals. Fourth, the biochemistry of eicosanoids in insects and other invertebrates can differ from expectations based on the mammalian background. Finally, we point to an uncharted frontier in insect studies--the biochemical mechanisms of eicosanoid action--by drawing attention to some of the work on eicosanoid receptors in mammalian systems.