It has been suggested in the literature that
5-lipoxygenase activation may be an important pathological event in
psoriasis and that
5-lipoxygenase inhibitors may thus have some beneficial
therapeutic effect in this disease. This is because (1) neutrophil activation is a prominent feature of the disease, (2)
leukotriene B4 is a potent chemotactic agent for neutrophils and is present in psoriatic lesions, (3)
5-lipoxygenase is present in human epidermis, (4) inhibition of
5-lipoxygenase may affect the disease. These concepts are questioned, and in particular it is suggested that (1) the
leukotriene B4-like material found in psoriatic skin has never been shown to have the correct stereochemistry to indicate that it is
5-lipoxygenase derived, (2) there is no convincing evidence for the presence of the
5-lipoxygenase enzyme in human skin, (3) drugs purported to have some benefit in
psoriasis through
5-lipoxygenase inhibitory mechanisms act through other mechanisms and (4) selective
leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors have no therapeutic utility in
psoriasis. It is concluded that
5-lipoxygenase activation does not play a significant role in the pathology of
psoriasis and therefore selective
leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors would have no significant role in the treatment of this disease.