5-Lipoxygenase Inhibitors

5-lipoxygenase oxygenates arachidonic acid to 5-HPETE and then dehydrates it to leukotriene A4 - the first two steps in leukotriene biosynthesis, and leukotrienes are potent mediators of inflammation. Drugs in this class inhibit that enzyme, so the leukotriene arm of the inflammatory response is suppressed. A drug belongs here because it blocks the lipoxygenase branch of arachidonic acid metabolism, as distinct from the NSAIDs, which block the cyclooxygenase branch that makes prostaglandins.