15-Hydroxyprostaglandin Dehydrogenase (HPGD)

Prostaglandins are involved in many physiologic and cellular processes, such as inflammation. Pichaud et al. (1997) noted that the NAD(+)-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH, type I) is the main enzyme of prostaglandin degradation. By catalyzing the conversion of the 15-hydroxyl group of prostaglandins into a keto group, this ubiquitous enzyme strongly reduces the biologic activity of these molecules. The nucleotide sequence coding for PGDH1 was established by Ensor et al. (1990) who found an 801-bp open reading frame coding for a protein with 266 amino acids identical to the amino acid sequence established by Krook et al. (1990).Cortisol reduces the activity of PGDH in human placental cells. 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II (HSD11B2) converts cortisol to cortisone.