Lipoxins: regulators of resolution.

Persistent inflammation underlies many prevalent diseases including atherosclerosis and diabetes. There is a growing appreciation that inflammation and its active resolution may be modulated by endogenously produced lipids. Pre-eminent amongst these mediators are lipoxin [LX]A4 and LXB4. The LXs are eicosanoids and display both anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving bioactions. In effective host defence lipid mediator biosynthesis is characterised by a switch from pro-inflammatory prostaglandin and leukotriene (LT) generation from arachidonic acid (AA) to LX production coincident with a return to tissue homeostasis. There is accumulating evidence that LXs are potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory disorders leading to tissue damage and organ fibrosis. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.