The pharmacology of benoxaprofen with particular to effects on lipoxygenase product formation.

Benoxaprofen has three pharmacological activities which may relate to its clinical activity profile. The most important of these for anti-inflammatory therapy is the regulation of directional monocyte movement in response to a stimulus but the inhibitory activity against lipoxygenase may be of considerable relevance in the treatment of asthma. The relatively weak inhibitory action on prostaglandin synthetase probably confers clinical benefit with a reduced potential to cause severe gastric side effects. Benoxaprofen is an inhibitor pf the lipoxygenase enzyme which converts arachidonic acid to hydroxy derivatives and the leukotrienes. These products are potent pharmacological agents with potentially important roles in inflammation and hypersensitivity disorders.