The effects of dietary intake of essential fatty acids on prostaglandin and leukotriene synthesis.

During the last 25 years prostaglandins and, more recently, leukotrienes have commanded increasing interest in the field of medical research. The identification of these substances as potent local hormones which contribute to many physiological and pathological processes has made them the target for potential new therapies. An understanding of the origin of prostaglandins and leukotrienes has led to the suggestion that dietary manipulation could be a means of controlling their synthesis and that this may be of prophylactic value in diseases such as thrombosis and arthritis. In the present paper I shall discuss the relation between essential fatty acids, prostaglandins and leukotrienes and indicate how essential fatty acid intake could influence events in the development of thrombotic and inflammatory disorders.