Papers of the Week

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs alleviate pain and inflammation by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase pathway. This pathway has various downstream effects, some of which are beneficial. Prostaglandin E is a key downstream product in the cyclooxygenase pathway that modulates inflammation. A correlation between aging and increased expression of the prostaglandin E receptor, EP2, has been associated with inflammatory processes, cognitive aging, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis. Therefore, inhibition of EP2 could lead to therapeutic effects and be more selective than inhibiting cyclooxygenase-2. Studies suggest that inhibition of EP2 restores age-associated spatial memory deficits and synaptic proteins and impairs tumorigenesis. The data indicate that EP2 signaling is important in myeloid cell metabolism and support its candidacy as a therapeutic target.