Preview of Potential Therapeutic Applications of Leukotriene B4 Inhibitors in Dermatology

This article reviews the mechanisms and potential therapeutic uses of compounds with inhibitory effects on leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production or its activity, and focuses on compounds that have been shown in animal and/or human studies to have potential efficacy in treating dermatological disorders. These compounds, many of which are not familiar to many dermatologists, include inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase such as ETH615, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, leflunomide, linetastine, lonapalene, MK886, R-68151 and zileuton, and antagonists of LTB4 such as SC53228, SC50605, SC51146 and VML295. The purpose of this paper is to introduce our colleagues to these potentially useful compounds currently in preclinical or early clinical testing.