5-Lipoxygenase: The Therapeutically Unexplored Target for Bone Health

Bone fracture is a common orthopedic condition that represents a significant health concern. Bone fracture repair process is a complex process that involves the harmonic and synchronized activity of bone cells. 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) is an enzyme responsible for the conversion of arachidonic acid to form leukotrienes. While leukotrienes have an empirical inflammatory role, various evidence suggests that these 5-LOX mediators, by switching the inflammatory environment and altering the activity of bone cells, have a detrimental effect on the bone fracture healing process. Additionally, various evidence suggests that 5-LOX inhibition shows improvement in the overall bone healing process and improves overall bone health. Despite this evidence, the clinical use of 5-LOX inhibitors in bone fracture healing is largely unexplored. The current review aimed to summarize the available evidence and pave the way for future large scale pre-clinical and clinical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of selective 5-LOX inhibitors in bone fracture healing.