Title:Lipoxygenase (LOX) Pathway: A Promising Target to Combat Cancer
Volume: 27
Issue: 31
Author(s): P. Vishnupriya, A. Aparna and Vijaya P. Viswanadha*
Affiliation:
- Department of Biotechnology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641046,India
Keywords:
Eicosanoid, arachidonic acid, leukotrienes, lipoxygenases, cancer, lipoxygenase inhibitors, leukotriene hydroxylase, cysteinyl
leukotriene receptor, phytochemicals.
Abstract: Leukotrienes are one of the major eicosanoid lipid mediators produced due to an oxidative transformation
of arachidonic acid. Subsequently, they get converted into various cellular signaling hormones by a series
of enzymes of myeloid origin to mediate or debilitate inflammation. Interestingly, the available literature
demonstrates the pivotal role of eicosanoids in neurodegenerative, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases,
and cancers as well. The aberrant metabolism of arachidonic acid by the LOX pathway is a common feature of
epithelial-derived malignancies and suggests the contributory role of dietary fats in carcinogenesis. The enzymes
and receptors of the LOX pathway play a significant role in cell proliferation, differentiation and regulation
of apoptosis through multiple signaling pathways and have been reported to be involved in various cancers,
including prostate, colon, lung and pancreatic cancers. So far, leukotriene receptor antagonists and 5-LOX inhibitors
have reached up to the clinical trials for treating various diseases. Keeping its various roles in cancer,
the review highlights the components of the leukotriene synthesizing machinery, emerging opportunities for
pharmacological intervention, and the probability of considering lipoxygenases and leukotriene receptors as
good candidates for clinical chemoprevention studies.
