Epidermal arachidonate lipoxygenase.

Guinea pig skin was found to display a high lipoxygenase activity, evidenced by the formation of a hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) from exogenous [14C]arachidonic acid. The lipoxygenase activity was localized to the epidermal layer of the skin, was completely inhibited by eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA) and slightly enhanced by indomethacin. Susceptibility to inactivation by sulfhydryl-directed reagents indicated that an essential sulfhydryl is present in a hydrophobic region of the molecule. The enzyme exhibited a broad pH activity optimum and a Km of 2.48 . 10(-5) M. The cytosolic enzyme has been partly purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and two steps of of column chromatography and exhibited an apparent high molecular weight. The lipoxygenase and hydroperoxidase activities were resolvable from one another. The physiological and pathophysiological roles of the enzyme remain to be elucidated.