Almost 30 years ago, the term 'oxylipin' (see Glossary) appeared in the literature and since then, publications on the topic have increased steadily. Oxylipins are found in almost all organisms and are present in free forms, esterified to phospholipids or galactolipids, or combined with other compounds (e.g., methyl groups, isoleucine) [1-10]. The precursors of oxylipin synthesis vary among organisms, as do the enzymes that will oxidise them. Because aerobic biological systems are continuously subject to autooxidation, oxylipins (e.g., phytoprostanes) are also produced through nonenzymatic routes in the presence of singlet oxygen or reactive oxygen species (ROS) [3,11-15]. Both pathways have been extensively reviewed. Figure 1 summarises the enzymatic production pathways of oxylipins (free forms) in mammals, fungi, and flowering plants (for detailed information see [8,13-21]).

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The increasing population will challenge healthcare, particularly because the worldwide population has never been older. Therapeutic solutions to age-related disease will be increasingly critical. Kinases are key regulators of human health and represent promising therapeutic targets for novel drug candidates. The dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase (DYRKs) family is of particular interest and, among them, DYRK1A has been implicated ubiquitously in varied human diseases. Herein, we focus on the characteristics of DYRK1A, its regulation and functional role in different human diseases, which leads us to an overview of future research on this protein of promising therapeutic potential.