Lipoxygenase cascade

The leukotrienes, a family of compounds derived from the oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid, have attracted the attention of a large portion of the scientific community in recent years. This present chapter deals primarily with the different chemical aspects associated with this field of research, in particular, their discovery their biogenesis, the strategic considerations envisaged in their synthesis, and the syntheses of the products associated with the 5-, 8-, 9-, 11-, 12-, and 15-lipoxygenase cascades. The literature to mid-1985 is covered. ... 

In cell free systems or isolated cells, some enzymes of the arachidonate cascade can also recognize AEA and 2-AG as substrates, thereby producing the corresponding lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase-2 derivatives. However, these metabolites have not yet been isolated from tissues and their biological relevance is still unknown. 

There is some evidence that in cells with low anandamide amidase activity, such as platelets and neutrophils, anandamide is inactivated by an oxidative pathway involving 12(5)-lipoxygenase (Edgemond, 1998). Metabolism of anandamide by enzymes of the arachidonic acid cascade... 

The other major arachidonic acid (AA) converting enzyme is an integral binding protein, 5-lipoxygenase, which is responsible for the initial transformation in a cascade of events towards the biosynthesis of leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are major mediators of numerous biological processes, including chemotaxis, and are implicated in hypersensitivity disorders like asthma. It was discovered in the early 1990s that another protein is necessary for the cellular synthesis of... 

Leukotrienes (LTA, LTB LTC, LTD, and LTE ) are synthesized from arachi-donic acid by a cascade of enzymes that include 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), 5-lipoxy-genase-activating protein (FLAP), and leukotriene C4 synthase (LTC synthase) (79,80). The leukotriene LTA is synthesized by 5-LOX in the first step and is an unstable precursor that is then enzymatically converted to LTB or LTC (80,81), which can subsequently be metabolized to LTD and LTE. LTC, LTD, and LTE are the components of the slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis. These moieties, particularly LTC and LTD, are active forms of CysLTs that interact with the G protein-coupled cysteinyl leukotriene receptors (CysLtrl and CysLtr2) (70,81,82). Once engaged, the activated CysLtrs receptors stimulate the secretion of mucus and induce edema and bronchoconstriction (81). 

Lipoxygenases (LOX), cycloxygenases (COXs), and xanthine oxidase (XO) are metalloen-zymes whose catalytic cycle involves ROS such as lipid peroxyl radicals, superoxide, and hydrogen peroxide. LOXs and COXs catalyze important steps in the biosynthesis of leuco-trienes and prostaglandins from arachidonic acid, which is an important cascade in the development of inflammatory responses. XO catalyzes the ultimate step in purine biosynthesis, the conversion of xanthine into uric acid. XO inhibition is an important issue in the... 

The fatty acid-like leukotrienes derived from the addition of glutathione to products of the lipoxygenase branch of the arachidonic cascade are closely associated with manifestations of asthma. Many compounds designed to antagonize leukotrienes at the receptor level incorporate long alkyl chains to mimic the leukotrienes backbone in addition to the sulfur-containing moieties that stand in for glutathione. The reaction... 

Monoamine oxidase, tyrosine hydroxylase, and L-amino acid oxidase generate hydrogen peroxide as their reaction product. Hydrogen peroxide is also produced by auto-oxidation of catecholamines in the presence of vitamin C. Moreover, phospholipase A2 (PLA2), cyclooxygenase (COX), and lipoxygenase (LOX), the enzymes associated with arachidonic acid release and the arachidonic acid cascade,... 

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