prostaglandin
noun
pros·ta·glan·din ˌprä-stə-ˈglan-dən 
: any of various oxygenated unsaturated cyclic fatty acids of animals that are formed chiefly by the action of cyclooxygenase on arachidonic acid and perform a variety of hormonelike actions (as in controlling blood pressure or smooth muscle contraction)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics • Note: Intrauterine saline instillation, intrauterine prostaglandin instillation, and intrauterine prostasaline instaillatino were also listed as procedure types. 
Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Misoprostol is a prostaglandin – a compound that has hormone-like effects on the body – that helps soften and dilate the cervix to expel the pregnancy. Grace Shih, Chron, 27 July 2022 The lash-growth treatment, Latisse, for example, contains a prostaglandin analog called bimatoprost. Gabi Thorne, Allure, 22 Apr. 2022 In return, osteocytes make prostaglandin E2, which promotes muscle growth, on a regular basis. Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2022 But as the uterine lining is shed (and bleeding continues), the prostaglandin level drops, which is why pain tends to become less intense after the first few days of menstruation. Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 19 Jan. 2022 What's new in eyelashes is a synthetic prostaglandin analog called bimatoprost. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 5 Jan. 2022 The uterus produces prostaglandin during your period. Laken Brooks, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021 Seven days after, the researchers injected prostaglandin to initiate a new run and get her into heat. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2021 See More
Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Misoprostol is a prostaglandin – a compound that has hormone-like effects on the body – that helps soften and dilate the cervix to expel the pregnancy. Grace Shih, Chron, 27 July 2022 The lash-growth treatment, Latisse, for example, contains a prostaglandin analog called bimatoprost. Gabi Thorne, Allure, 22 Apr. 2022 In return, osteocytes make prostaglandin E2, which promotes muscle growth, on a regular basis. Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2022 But as the uterine lining is shed (and bleeding continues), the prostaglandin level drops, which is why pain tends to become less intense after the first few days of menstruation. Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 19 Jan. 2022 What's new in eyelashes is a synthetic prostaglandin analog called bimatoprost. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 5 Jan. 2022 The uterus produces prostaglandin during your period. Laken Brooks, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021 Seven days after, the researchers injected prostaglandin to initiate a new run and get her into heat. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
prostate gland + -in entry 1; from its occurrence in the seminal fluid of animals
First Known Use
1936, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
prostaglandin
noun
pros·ta·glan·din ˌpräs-tə-ˈglan-dən
: any of various oxygenated unsaturated cyclic fatty acids of animals that are formed as cyclooxygenase metabolites especially from unsaturated fatty acids (as arachidonic acid) composed of a chain of 20 carbon atoms and that perform a variety of hormonelike actions (as in controlling blood pressure or smooth muscle contraction)