Relative conversion of arachidonic acid through lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathways by homogenates of diseased periodontal tissues.

The present study shows that 14C-arachidonic acid metabolism in gingiva of patients with periodontal disease is mainly via the lipoxygenase pathway. In two pools of gingival tissue homogenates, the lipoxygenase products contained 22.65% and 23.38%, while the prostaglandins (PGs), products of the cyclooxygenase pathway, contained only 4.85% and 3.98% of the total radioactivity incubated. 12-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE), a lipoxygenase product, was detected as a major metabolite of arachidonic acid in gingiva.