The 1982 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine was awarded to two Swedish biochemists, Bengt Ingemar Samuelsson (1934) and Sune K. Bergstrom (1916), and an English scientist, John Robert Vane (1927), for the isolation, identification, and analysis of numerous prostaglandins, biochemical compounds that influence blood pressure, body temperature, allergic reactions, and other physiologic phenomena in mammals. Samuelsson's work with prostaglandins and arachidonic acid led to the discovery of endoperoxides, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes. This research has had several practical applications in medicine, especially in the understanding of inflammatory, allergic, and thrombotic processes and bodily defense mechanisms. Samuelsson was born on May 21, 1934, in Halmstad, a seaport in southwestern Sweden (about 80 miles south of Goteborg). After attending the local schools in Halmstad, he entered the University of Lund (southern Sweden). There, he attended classes and worked in the research laboratory of Bergstrom, who was then professor of physiologic chemistry. When Bergstrom was named to the faculty of the Karolinska Institute in 1958, Samuelsson also left the University of Lund. He received both a doctorate in medical science (in 1960) and a medical degree (in 1961) from the Karolinska Institute. Subsequently, he was appointed assistant professor of medicine at the institute. From 1961 to 1962, Samuelsson was a research fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts), where he studied theoretical and synthetic organic chemistry. In 1962, he returned to the Karolinska Institute to work with Bergstrom. From 1967 to 1972, Samuelsson was professor of medical chemistry at the Royal Veterinary College in Stockholm, and from 1972 to 1982, he was professor of chemistry and chairman of the Department of Chemistry at the Karolinska Institute. He was a visiting professor at Harvard University in 1976 and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge) in 1977. In 1978, he was named dean of the medical faculty at the Karolinska Institute, and he became rector of the institute in 1983. By the late 1950s, Bergstrom had isolated, purified, and identified the chemical structures of two of the prostaglandins. The Swedish physiologist and 1970 Nobel laureate Ulf von Euler (1905-1983) had discovered and named prostaglandin (falsely assuming that it was produced by the prostate). Bergstrom and Samuelsson studied the production of prostaglandins in living organisms and within 2 years had demonstrated that they are formed from arachidonic acid (an unsaturated fatty acid found in certain meats and vegetables). Samuelsson discovered that arachidonic acid and the prostaglandin enzyme system are present in all nucleated animal cells. Different cells synthesize specific prostaglandins, and the various prostaglandins in turn perform particular biologic functions. Prostaglandins E and F, the most thoroughly studied of the prostaglandins, have demonstrated applications in medicine. The E series prostaglandins relax the walls of blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and are useful in treating patients who have circulatory diseases. In addition, these prostaglandins protect the lining of the stomach from the formation of ulcers and from the toxic effects of aspirin and other drugs. The F series prostaglandins increase blood pressure, stimulate contraction of the uterus, and can be useful in inducing abortions. In 1972, Samuelsson discovered that a particular endoperoxide was converted into thromboxane. He identified two thromboxanes, A2 and B2 and noted that A2 is a potent inducer of platelet aggregation and platelet release reaction as well as being a vasoconstrictor. Thromboxane A2 is synthesized by platelets and hydrolyzes to thromboxane B2 (an inactive substance). In the 1970s, Samuelsson discovered that, in leukocytes, arachidonic acid is converted into compounds that he called leukotrienes, which increase the permeability of blood vessels to fluid and thereby cause tissues to swell. Corticosteroid drugs such as cortisone and cortisone derivatives interfere with the biosynthesis of leukotrienes and thus can control the symptoms of asthma and anaphylaxis. Samuelsson was not only an award-winning researcher but also a prolific writer and inspiring teacher. He received many international awards and honors besides the Nobel Prize. In 1996, Sweden issued a stamp in his honor.
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