ABSTRACT
The prostaglandins (PGs) are a class of 20-carbon, oxygenated, unsaturated acidic substances derived from dihomo-7-linolenic acid (eicosa-8,11,14-trienoic acid), arachidonic acid (AA) (eicosa-5,8,ll,14-tetraenoic acid), and all cis-eicosa-5,8,11,14,17-pentaenoic acid. The profound and varied biological actions of these compounds, which are formed widely in mammalian tissues and fluids, have fired the imagination of numerous investigators in academic and industrial circles for almost 2 decades. The resultant outpouring of biochemical, chemical (mainly synthetic in nature), pharmacological, and clinical pharmacology publications dealing with this class of compounds (prostanoids) has been, with the exception of the field of cyclic nucleotides, unparalleled. A computerized search of Chem ical Abstracts (January 1, 1967 to January 31, 1983) and Index Medicus (January 1, 1966 to January 31, 1983) has revealed that approximately 20,600 and 23,000 papers, respectively, dealing with prostanoids have been abstracted by these reference sources during the time periods indicated. 1,22 Furthermore, prior to 1970, no journals specifically devoted to PGs existed; now there are 15. In addition, more than 50 books on various facets of PG research are currently available. 1,2,22 Whereas the appearance of publications on most aspects of prostanoids continues unabated, the number of purely synthetic papers is on the wane, the reason being that most of the synthetic problems associated with this field had been solved by the end of the 1970s. 3 The majority of the papers which are currently being published in this area are devoted to the synthesis of non-natural prostaglandins by well-established synthetic procedures, as well as to the biological actions associated with these compounds. It is these subjects which this article surveys, in tabular form, for the period January 1, 1976 to December 31, 1983. 4,5,23 A similar series of tables for data up to 1976 is found in the chapter by Willis and Stone.
