Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Tunaru S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3384204 | biostudies-other | 2012 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Tunaru Sorin S Althoff Till F TF Nüsing Rolf M RM Diener Martin M Offermanns Stefan S
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20120521 23
Castor oil is one of the oldest drugs. When given orally, it has a laxative effect and induces labor in pregnant females. The effects of castor oil are mediated by ricinoleic acid, a hydroxylated fatty acid released from castor oil by intestinal lipases. Despite the wide-spread use of castor oil in conventional and folk medicine, the molecular mechanism by which ricinoleic acid acts remains unknown. Here we show that the EP(3) prostanoid receptor is specifically activated by ricinoleic acid and ...[more]