Question

Aspirin inhibits prostaglandins from being formed. Explain what prostaglandins do in respect to inflammation and how inhibiting their formation would reduce inflammation.

Answer 1

Well, prostaglandines are produced just in the same site an injury occurs, they are produced by cyclooxygenases and once made they tend to attach to receptors that start inflammatory responses (between some other effects in different kind of tissues). They are the one molecule that signals inflammatory response, so when Aspirin's acetylsalicylic acid deactivates cyclooxygenases, the production of prostaglandins stops, so there is no inflammatory signaling in the receptors, thus there is no inflammation.