Description
Leukotriene B
4 (LTB
4) is a dihydroxy fatty acid derived from arachidonic acid through the 5-
LO pathway. It promotes a number of leukocyte functions including aggregation, stimulation of ion fluxes, enhancement of lysosomal enzyme release, superoxide anion production, chemotaxis, and chemokinesis. 12-
oxo LTB
4 is an initial metabolite of LTB
4 formed
via the LTB
4 12-
hydroxydehydrogenase pathway. It is rapidly converted to 10,11-
dihydro-
12-
oxo-
LTB
4, followed by reduction of the 12-
oxo group to give 10,11-
dihydro-
LTB
4. 12-
oxo-
LTB
4 (EC
50 = 33 nM) is about 70-
fold less potent than LTB
4 (EC
50 = 0.46 nM) at stimulating Ca
2+ mobilization in human neutrophils. It is also significantly less potent than LTB
4 at stimulating neutrophil migration with EC
50 values of 170 and 2.7 nM for 12-
oxo-
LTB
4 and LTB
4, respectively.