Expression and role of phospholipase A<inf>2</inf> in central nervous system injury and disease

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014. All rights reserved. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes hydrolyze membrane phospholipids to generate a free fatty acid and a lysophospholipid. These products of PLA2 can generate about two dozen different bioactive lipid mediators that bind to specific receptors to regulate a wide variety of responses that modulate inflammation. They also play roles in normal physiological functions in the nervous system, which for the most part still remain to be fully elucidated. PLA2s are therefore at the apex of a pyramid, downstream of which are a large number of other enzymes that give rise to an even larger number of mediators. Modulating the activity of PLA2s can therefore influence a number of downstream pathways and may serve as a focal point for therapies. There are about two dozen mammalian PLA2s but only some members of this superfamily have so far been reported to be expressed in the nervous system. In this chapter, we will review the evidence for the expression and role of PLA2s in the nervous system. The main focus, however, will be on the work we have done on their role in two neurological conditions-spinal cord injury and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.