[Arachidonic acid metabolites and shock].

The pathogenesis of shock is discussed on the basis of important results from world literature under the special point of view of the significance of eicosanoids. It results from a lower mortality of shock animals with a diet poor in polyunsaturated fatty acids and a specifically increased release of arachidonic acid as prostaglandin precursor in shock animals. Of particular importance is an increased formation of thromboxane B2 (TXB2). It this formation is specifically inhibited, the survival rate increases, the decrease of blood pressure is reduced, also the increase of the plasma-cathepsin-D-activity and of the myocardial depressant factor and the increased formation of microthrombi in renal glomeruli of shock animals. Also in patients who survived the shock the TXB2-values were only 1/10 of the values in decreased shock patients. Another therapeutic way is the infusion of prostacyclin which leads to a specific increase of the arterial blood supply of the liver and the superior mesenteric artery and also increases the ATP and creatine phosphate level. The importance of the findings of animal experiments for the pathogenesis and therapy in patients is discussed.