The modification of the nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, indomethacin, by amidation presents a promising strategy for designing novel cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-selective inhibitors. A series of ␣-substituted indomethacin ethanolamides, which exist as R/S-enantiomeric pairs, provides a means to study the impact of stereochemistry on COX inhibition. Comparative studies revealed that the R-and S-enantiomers of the ␣-substituted analogs inhibit COX-2 with almost equal efficacy, whereas COX-1 is selectively inhibited by the S-enantiomers. Mutagenesis studies have not been able to identify residues that manifest the enantioselectivity in COX-1. In an effort to understand the structural impact of chirality on COX-1 selectivity, the crystal structures of ovine COX-1 in complexes with an enantiomeric pair of these indomethacin ethanolamides were determined at resolutions between 2.75 and 2.85 Å . These structures reveal unique, enantiomer-selective interactions within the COX-1 side pocket region that stabilize drug binding and account for the chiral selectivity observed with the (S)-␣-substituted indomethacin ethanolamides. Kinetic analysis of binding demonstrates that both inhibitors bind quickly utilizing a two-step mechanism. However, the second binding step is readily reversible for the R-enantiomer, whereas for the S-enantiomer, it is not. These studies establish for the first time the structural and kinetic basis of high affinity binding of a neutral inhibitor to COX-1 and demonstrate that the side pocket of COX-1, previously thought to be sterically inaccessible, can serve as a binding pocket for inhibitor association.Cyclooxygenase (COX 4 ; also known as prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase) is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin (PG) H 2 , the immediate precursor to prostaglandins, thromboxane, and prostacyclin. The conversion of arachidonic acid into PGH 2 proceeds through two separate reactions in which two molecules of O 2 are incorporated into arachidonic acid bound in the COX site to form PGG 2 , which then diffuses to the peroxidase site (POX) to undergo a two-electron reduction to form the final product PGH 2 . Two isoforms of COX exist
CD47 plays an important but incompletely understood role in innate and adaptive immune responses. CD47 associates in cis with T-cell LFA-1 integrins and regulates expression of high-affinity conformations of both LFA-1 and VLA-4.
The lipoamino acids and endovanilloids have multiple roles in nociception, pain, and inflammation, yet their biological reactivity has not been fully characterized. Cyclooxygenases (COXs) and lipoxygenases (LOs) oxygenate polyunsaturated fatty acids to generate signaling molecules. The ability of COXs and LOs to oxygenate arachidonyl-derived lipoamino acids and vanilloids was investigated. COX-1 and COX-2 were able to minimally metabolize many of these species. However, the lipoamino acids were efficiently oxygenated by 12S-and 15S-LOs. The kinetics and products of oxygenation by LOs were characterized. Whereas 15S-LOs retained positional specificity of oxygenation with these novel substrates, platelet-type 12S-LO acted as a 12/15-LO. Fatty acid oxygenases may play an important role in the metabolic inactivation of lipoaminoacids or vanilloids or may convert them to bioactive derivatives.
Leukotrienes are bioactive signaling molecules derived from arachidonic acid that initiate and amplify innate immunity. A single structure, the leukotriene synthetic complex, on the nuclear membrane of neutrophils integrates and transduces extracellular signals to generate the chemotactic lipid LTB4.
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