5-lipoxygenase: a promising drug target against inflammatory diseases-biochemical and pharmacological regulation

5-Lipoxygenase (5-LO) is the key enzyme involved in the synthesis of pro-inflammatory leukotrienes (LTs) and has become a prime target for new drug discovery research and development efforts by the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. The pathophysiological effects of LTs can be modulated by the selective inhibition of 5-LO. In this review, we summarize the established dogma and recent progress on the biochemical and pharmacological regulation of 5-LO and its diverse cellular partners. In the last decade, significant research efforts have led to the exploitation of 5-LO pathway for developing new drugs against inflammatory diseases. Despite few setbacks, a number of promising molecules have moved into clinical development. These fundamental discoveries and proof-of-concept studies will ultimately be helpful in delineating how 5-LO pathway participates in the development of disease phenotype and what are possible key biomarkers of disease progression and regression. Elucidation of molecular mechanism-of-action of 5-LO in individual cell types will pave the way for improving efficacy parameters. Taken together, this combined knowledge about the 5-LO pathway would be helpful in planning collaborative and targeted R&D efforts, by the academic laboratories and pharmaceutical/ biotech industry, for the discovery and development of novel, efficacious and safer drugs against multiple diseases.