Neuropathic pain (NP) is a pain caused by lesions in the nervous system. Several causes of NP are traumatic, metabolic disorders, ischemia, toxins, infections, immune-related, and hereditary. The pathophysiology of NP is very complicated and unknown entirely. Therefore the treatment of NP is still unsatisfactory. Recent studies believed the critical role of primary inflammatory mediators in the pathophysiology of NP especially leukotrienes (LTs). The 5-lipoxygenase enzyme (5-LOX) is an enzyme that plays a role in the metabolism of arachidonic acid into LTs. Leukotrienes (LTs) are the essential inflammatory mediators in the pathophysiology of NP. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) can cause chemotaxis on neutrophils, lowering nociceptors threshold and may contribute to NP. Several studies believed the administration of 5-LOX inhibitors or LTs receptor antagonists could be useful in the management of NP. The purpose of this review is to summarize the involvement of 5-LOX enzyme as an essential role in the pathophysiology and management of NP.
Key words: 5-lipoxygenase, leukotrienes, pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, inflammatory mediators, management of neuropathic pain
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