Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators in the Pathophysiology of Asthma

Abstract

Asthma is one of the most important medical and social problems of our time due to the prevalence and the complexity of its treatment. Chronic inflammation that is characteristic of asthma is accompanied by bronchial obstruction, which involves various lipid mediators produced from n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The review is devoted to modern ideas about the PUFA metabolites—eicosanoids (leukotrienes, prostaglandins, thromboxanes) and specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs) maresins, lipoxins, resolvins, protectins. The latest advances in clinical lipidomics for identifying and disclosing the mechanism of synthesis and the biological action of SPMs have been given. The current views on the peculiarities of the inflammatory reaction in asthma and the role of highly specialized metabolites of arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in this process have been described. The possibility of using SPMs as therapeutic agents aimed at controlling the resolution of inflammation in asthma is discussed.