Renal effects of drugs that inhibit prostaglandin synthesis

There is extensive, clinical use of antiinflammatory drugs that inhibit prostaglandin synthesis in most, if not all, organs in the body. Much of the therapeutic efficacy of these agents depends on a reduction of prostaglandin synthesis at the site of inflammation. Not surprisingly, many of the side-effects of these drugs are secondary to decreased prostaglandin synthesis in brain, vasculature, stomach, lung, and kidney. In this review, we will focus attention on the effects of these antiinflammatory compounds on renal function, with particular emphasis on renin secretion, control of renal blood flow (RBF), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). To describe these renal consequences of prostaglandin inhibition, we will briefly review the biochemistry of prostaglandin synthesis and the major known physiologic actions of prostaglandins in the kidney