Oxylipins in Atherosclerosis: Their Role in Inflammation, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Perspectives

Atherosclerosis, the principal pathology underlying cardiovascular diseases, is now recognized as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the arterial wall. This review focuses on the central role of oxylipins, a diverse family of bioactive lipids derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), in the inflammatory processes driving atherosclerosis. We synthesize evidence that oxylipins produced via cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase (LOX), cytochrome P450 (CYP), anandamide (AEA) pathways and non-enzymatic transformations of PUFAs are pivotal modulators of vascular function, immune cell recruitment, and plaque stability. The balance between pro-inflammatory mediators and specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) is critical; a shift towards inflammation underlies disease progression. Advances in lipidomics now enable comprehensive oxylipin profiling, revealing distinct signatures with significant diagnostic and prognostic potential for assessing coronary artery disease severity and predicting future cardiovascular events. Therapeutically, while current anti-inflammatory strategies target downstream pathways, this review highlights emerging approaches that modulate the oxylipin system directly. These include promoting SPMs synthesis through omega-3 supplementation, inhibiting pro-inflammatory leukotriene production, and preserving cardioprotective epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) via soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibition. A deeper understanding of these complex oxylipin networks promises to yield novel biomarkers and targeted therapies designed to restore inflammatory homeostasis and combat atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.