Advances in Eicosanoid Research

Over the last few years, we have witnessed tremendous progress in the field of eicosanoids and their therapeutic applications. Receptor an tagonists for leukotrienes have been tested as anti-inflammatories and are on the market as a treatment for asthma. Receptor agonists for pro stacyclin are being tested for the treatment of peripheral vascular dis ease, and selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase type II were just ap proved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. All these developments are the culmination of many years and man-hours of careful research. The field has now entered an upswing that will result in novel thera peutic applications within the next 10 years. New molecules and me diators have been identified, new enzymes and pathways elucidated and new therapeutic approaches have emerged. The concept of ei cosanoids as "pro-inflammatory" molecules is being challenged, and their role as regulators is increasingly recognized. In fact, some of these molecules may be important endogenous anti-inflammatory agents.

Inhalt
1 The Mechanism of Action of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.- 2 Human Group-V Phospholipase-A2 Expression in Pichia pastoris and Its Role in Eicosanoid Generation.- 3 Fatty-Acid Substrate Interactions with Cyclooxygenases.- 4 Structure, Function and Inhibition of Cyclooxygenases.- 5 Leukotriene-A4 Hydrolase: Probing the Active Sites and Catalytic Mechanisms by Site-Directed Mutagenesis.- 6 The Regulation of Cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 in Knockout Cells and Cyclooxygenase and Fever in Knockout Mice.- 7 Leukotriene-B4 Receptor and Signal Transduction.- 8 Lipoxins, Aspirin-Triggered 15-epi-Lipoxin Stable Analogs and Their Receptors in Anti-Inflammation: a Window for Therapeutic Opportunity.- 9 Lipoxin-Stable Analogs: Potential Therapeutic Downregulators of Intestinal Inflammation.- 10 The Role of Eicosanoids in Tumor Growth and Metastasis.- Previous Volumes Published in this Series.