Arachidonic Acid-Derived Bioactive Lipids: Their Role and the Role for Their Inhibitors in Dermatology

Abstract

Newer drug discovery methods, including combinatorial chemistry with molecular modeling, have made it possible to develop inhibitors and analogs with increasing specificity and bioactivity and decreasing toxicity. Although the application of these analogs and inhibitors for cutaneous disease is limited today, either as primary agents or adjuvant therapy, these drugs will have a place in our therapeutic regimes of the future. We present a review of the therapeutic agents now available from manipulation of these bioactive lipids, and their role and future in dermatology.