- Biochemistry
mPGES-1 gives me fever Prostaglandin E2 precursor is the main switch during febrile response to immune challenge | By Xavier Bosch
In response to inflammation or infection, cerebral endothelial cells stimulate the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), an inflammatory mediator whose small size and lipophilic properties allow it to diffuse into the brain parenchyma. PGE2 production involves cyclooxygenase (COX), which converts arachidonic acid into prostaglandin H2 (PGH2); PGH2 is subsequently metabolized to PGE2 by microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1)—induced in brain endothelial cells following immune challenge.

In the October 19 Nature Neuroscience, David Engblom and colleagues at Linköping University report that mPGES-1 is the critical chemical responsible for activating the fever that appears during inflammation, suggesting its potential as a novel drug target (Nature Neuroscience, DOI:10.1038/nn1142, October 19, 2003).