Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) include two series of fatty acids: omega-6 and omega-3 series. PUFAs have amphiphatic properties: hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail. Such structure and other properties of unsaturated fatty acids are responsible for exerting the following biological action: maintaining cell-membrane fluidity, inhib- iting inflammatory processes, decreasing secretion of pr...

The products of arachidonic acid oxygenations by resident mouse peritoneal macrophages have been found to depend upon the nature of the stimulus. For example, soluble membrane-mediated inflammatory stimuli such as phorbol myristate acetate and lipopolysaccharide stimulated the formation of prostaglandin E2 via the cyclooxygenase pathway. In contrast, zymosan, a particulate, phagocytozable infla...

Leukotrienes are implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse, inflammation-driven diseases. Metabolic inactivation of leukotriene signaling is an innate response to resolve inflammation, yet little is known of mechanisms regulating disposition of leukotrienes in peripheral tissues afflicted in common inflammatory diseases. We studied leukotriene hydroxylases (CYP4F gene products) in human skin, a...

Collagen-induced arthritis in the DBA/1 mouse is an experimental model of human rheumatoid arthritis. To examine the role of leukotrienes in the pathogenesis of this disease, we have developed embryonic stem (ES) cells from this mouse strain. Here, we report that DBA/1 mice made deficient in 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) by gene targeting in ES cells develop and grow normally. Zymosa...

The cysteinyl leukotrienes (C4, D4 and E4) are lipid mediators which are implicated in producing an array of effects such as bronchoconstriction, increased vascular permeability, mucous secretion, inflammatory cell recruitment and airway smooth muscle proliferation. Antagonism of the effects of cysteinyl leukotrienes can be achieved by drugs preventing their synthesis using a 5-lipoxygenase inh...