Prostaglandin G2 is an organic

peroxide In chemistry, peroxides are a group of compounds with the structure , where R = any element. The group in a peroxide is called the peroxide group or peroxo group. The nomenclature is somewhat variable. The most common peroxide is hydrogen p ...

belonging to the family of

prostaglandins The prostaglandins (PG) are a group of physiologically active lipid compounds called eicosanoids having diverse hormone-like effects in animals. Prostaglandins have been found in almost every tissue in humans and other animals. They are derive ...

. The compound has been isolated as a solid, although it is usually used in vivo. It quickly converts into prostaglandin H2, a process catalyzed by the enzyme COX. Prostaglandin G2 is produced from the

fatty acid In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, fr ...

arachidonic acid Arachidonic acid (AA, sometimes ARA) is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid 20:4(ω-6), or 20:4(5,8,11,14). It is structurally related to the saturated arachidic acid found in cupuaçu butter. Its name derives from the New Latin word ''arachi ...

. The reaction, an oxygenation, requires the enzyme cyclooxygenase, which inserts two molecules of O₂ into the C-H bonds of the substrate acid.

References

Prostaglandins {{organic-compound-stub