ABSTRACT
The inflammatory response is an essential process for the host defence against pathogens. Lipid mediators are important in coordinating the pro-inflammatory and pro-resolution phases of the inflammatory process. However, unregulated production of these mediators has been associated with chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and several types of cancer. Therefore, it is not surprising that enzymes implicated in the production of these lipid mediators have been targeted for potential therapeutic approaches. Amongst these inflammatory molecules, the 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12(S)-HETE) is abundantly produced in several diseases and is primarily biosynthesized via the platelet's 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) pathway. To this day, very few compounds selectively inhibit the 12-LO pathway, and most importantly, none are currently used in the clinical settings. In this study, we investigated a series of polyphenol analogues of natural polyphenols that inhibit the 12-LO pathway in human platelets without affecting other normal functions of the cell. Using an ex vivo approach, we found one compound that selectively inhibited the 12-LO pathway, with IC50 values as low as 0.11 µM, with minimal inhibition of other lipoxygenase or cyclooxygenase pathways. More importantly, our data show that none of the compounds tested induced significant off-target effects on either the platelet's activation or its viability. In the continuous search for specific and better inhibitors targeting the regulation of inflammation, we characterized two novel inhibitors of the 12-LO pathway that could be promising for subsequent in vivo studies.