5-Lipoxygenase inhibitors – patent and literature activity during 2001 – 2004

Abstract

This article analyses the publications and patents on the therapeutic potential of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) inhibitors appearing during the period 2001 – 2004. There have been long-standing attempts to introduce 5-LOX inhibitors for the treatment of asthma and allergic disorders but new evidence suggests that inhibition of 5-LOX may also prove useful against certain cardiovascular diseases and human tumours. This review summarises current knowledge on the regulation of 5-LOX and the commonly adopted approaches for enzyme inhibition, before going on to discuss new strategies for anti-LOX therapy and the development of inhibitors for the treatment of disease in these new therapeutic areas.