Three new 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, designated as BU-4601 A, B and C, were found in the fermentation broth of Streptomyces sp. strain No. AA2807.Their structures were identified as isodecyl, isoundecyl and isolauryl esters of 5-hydroxyanthranilic acid, respectively. Based on their structures, five related esters were synthesized and evaluated for biological activity as inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase. Both naturally-occurring and chemically-synthesized compoundsexhibited almost equal levels of 5-lipoxygenase inhibibory activities in vitro.5-Lipoxygenase catalyzes the first step in the metabolic conversion of arachidonic acid into the leukotrienes which are powerful mediators of a broad range of physiological responses. Novel inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase offer potentially useful therapeutic agents for the treatment of various diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, and asthma1>2). In the course of a screening program for 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, a streptomycete (strain No. AA2807), isolated from a soil sample collected in Nagatoro, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, was found to produce three active compounds designated as BU-460 1 A, B and C. Each component was isolated in a pure form by conventional column chromatography followed by preparative HPLC. The structures of BU-4601 A, B and C were determined by spectral analyses to be isodecyl, isoundecyl and isolauryl-5-hydroxyanthranilates, respectively. Based on these active lead compounds, five esters of 5-hydroxyanthranilic acid were synthesized. This paper deals with the production, isolation and structure determination of BU-4601 A, B and C, and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activities of three naturally-occurring and five chemically-synthesized derivatives of 5-hydroxyanthranilic acid.