[Metabolism of arachidonic acid of the skin and its significance in the pathophysiology of inflammatory dermatosis].

Arachidonic acid can be converted via the cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways to biologically extremely potent products. The arachidonic acid metabolites - prostaglandins, prostacyclin, thromboxane, leukotrienes and hydroxy-fatty acids - are assumed to play a major role in the pathophysiology of inflammation. The skin shows an active arachidonic acid metabolism which is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and different forms of dermatitis. Research into the biochemical basis of inflammation should lead to the introduction of new, pathogenetically oriented pharmacological principles in the treatment of these dermatoses.