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.