5-Lipoxygenase, a key enzyme for leukotriene biosynthesis in health and disease

• This review describes human 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX).
• 5-LOX catalyzes two steps in leukotriene (LT) biosynthesis.
• The emphasis is on the biochemistry and enzyme activity of 5-LOX.
• LTs are inflammatory mediators in normal host defense and in inflammatory disease.
• Disease states where LTs are inferred in the pathophysiology are briefly summarized.

5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) catalyzes two steps in the biosynthesis of leukotrienes (LTs), lipid mediators of inflammation derived from arachidonic acid. In this review we focus on 5-LOX biochemistry including 5-LOX interacting proteins and regulation of enzyme activity. LTs function in normal host defense, and have roles in many disease states where acute or chronic inflammation is part of the pathophysiology, as briefly summarized at the end of this chapter. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Oxygenated metabolism of PUFA: analysis and biological relevance".